Rainy Days and Mondays...

If ever there was a day I didn’t feel like cooking, it was today!  It was raining and windy and even my dog didn’t want to go outside.  A perfect soup day; but soup can be time-consuming.  Then I remembered the butternut squash I bought at the market.  I am not a big fan of butternut squash, but it is high in nutrients and easy to prepare.  So, roasted in the oven, pureed with sautéed onions and garlic and chicken stock.  And because I was feeling guilty about how little effort it took, I decided to sauté some scallops to go with it.  Easy!  

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Scallops Recipe

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (about 3-4 pounds)
olive oil
1/2 large onion, cut in half and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2 tablespoons madeira, or sherry
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
grains of paradise
scallops
large croutons/crostini

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable spray.  Cut squash in half lengthwise; and place, cut side down, in prepared baking dish.  Baked until squash is tender, about 45 minutes.

Cook onions in olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes.  Add stock, cardamom and madeira and simmer uncovered, about 15 minutes.

Using a large spoon, scrape half squash into food blender; discard peel.  Add half of stock and puree until smooth, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a clean pot and keep warm and covered.  Repeat with second half of squash and stock.  Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle scallops with grains of paradise and chill for 30 minutes.  Heat oil in a skillet over moderately high heat until hot; then sauté scallops until just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Transfer to a paper towel.

Spoon warm soup into bowls.  Add a crouton and cover with a scallop.

For croutons:  slice a baguette into 3/4" slices.  Toss with olive oil, granulated garlic and minced parsley.  Place on baking sheet and bake in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until brown.

Seafood Chowder

Now that the temperature has started to creep down into the 40’s at night, and the days have a bit of nip in the air, my craving naturally turns to soup.  A few days ago I had the dilemma of trying to decide what kind of soup I wanted.  As I pondered all the usual suspects - minestrone, chicken noodle, split pea, French onion - my thoughts kept taking me back to a little restaurant in Nokomis, Florida named Pelican Alley.  Located on the waterfront of the intercoastal waterway, with a magnificent view of Casey Key, it is famous for its’  seafood chowder.  Unable to talk the proprietor into giving me the recipe, I took copious tasting notes during my last visit.

Seafood Chowder Recipe

Ingredients:

2 ounce olive oil

4 slices bacon, lardons

1 small onions, chopped

1/2 cup flour

1-½ quart fish stock, or clam juice

2 medium potatoes, diced

2 medium carrots, thick sliced, halved

½ pound shrimp

½ pound bay scallops, halved 

1  10-ounce can clams, drained

½ pound lump crabmeat

8 ounces heavy cream

½ cup white wine

1 teaspoon Everyday Spice Blend

parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Render the bacon until crispy.   Add the onions and saute until translucent.
Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook over medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the hot stock, blending until smooth and thickened. Heat to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.  Add the diced potatoes and carrots and simmer gently. When potatoes and carrots are three-fourths cooked, about 5-6 minutes, add the fish/seafood and finish cooking,.
Temper the heavy cream into the soup.  Add wine and season with the Everyday Spice 

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