What Do You Mean You Don't Have a Ricer?

a roasting we will go...

well, after a warm spell in east texas, we're experiencing the normal february cold snap... today i woke up to go take a yoga class and froze my sockless toes on the way to the car... so... when i got home, i built a fire, and decided it was time to cook, winter style! my favorite way to cook in the winter is by roasting, and my favorite thing to eat is soup.... so i took a census of food items in the kitchen and decided to make a roasted winter squash soup.... here goes...

take a couple of squashes (i used one butternut and one acorn) and chop in half and deseed... then you can quarter them, or leave them halved and toss them on a baking pan (if you line it with foil it will be much easier to clean later). spray drizzle or brush the squash with olive oil... season with salt, pepper and seasonings of your choice (i used fresh ground nutmeg) smash a few cloves of garlic to place in the squash cavities... i also threw some fresh rosemary and thyme on.... i roasted these in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour at 425 degrees. then i turned the oven off and went to visit my grandmother allowing them to cool...

.... when i returned, i sauteed garlic and onion with some olive oil in the bottom of a big soup pot.... then i peeled my squash from it's skin and added that to the pot (i also added the roasted garlic from the pan).... next smash the squash with a tater masher... add 1/2 c to a cup of dry white wine and 2 cans of chicken or veggie broth (depending on whether youre a carnivore or herbivore)... season to taste (i added a sachet of bay leaves, rosemary and time) and walk away with the pot on low so it can simmer and absorb all the flavors. when you decide it's "done" puree it in small batches in the blender or food processor OR if you don't have those high tech tools, force it through a mesh sieve. if it's too thick, add more broth... goes great with crusty bread and goat cheese- YUMMY!!!!

AND.... everyone knows soups taste better the next day, so i made something different for dinner:

a roasted foil pack dinner! the easiest thing in the world to cook... again you're using a 425 degree oven... in a bowl mix whatever it is you want for dinner (i used broccoli, asparagus, garlic, carrots, and cubed chicken breasts) this can easily be made for veggie or meat fans, in fact it would be a great hands on dinner party where folks each choose their own ingredients (when i lived in german a friend cut a block of feta in half and wrapped it in foil with onions, tomatoes and bana peppers, it was killer!)... then i seasoned everything with salt pepper, and accompanying flavors (i used lemon zest, spicy paprika, and rosemary) a few tablesppons of olive oil, and toss until well covered.... you can use separate squares of foil if your making individual sized packets, or one big square of foil for a large dish... wrap it all up throw it in the hot oven and leave it there 40 to 60 minutes.... these are also great on camping trips... you can bury them under hot coals! anyways... when you take it out of the oven let it sit a few minutes and be really carefully opening the packet because crazy steam will escape.... whatever you've created will be super moist and juicy... in fact i cooked a pot of cous cous to serve as a pillow for my roasted goodies.... OH YUM!

i love days that involve cooking, fires, yoga, reading, and npr... it's been a really nice friday...

**FOOD TRIVIA**
did you know ricotta is the whey that comes from making mozarella cheese? then it's cooked a second time and that's why it's called ricotta (italian for twice cooked)!!

posted by noe @ 7:26 PM