Butternut Squash Jalapeno Soup

That's kind of a strange color for butternut squash soup, huh?

Well that's because it's got jalapeno and sage added to it.

I may have overdone the jalapeno a bit, thus the extra green color, but the flavor is really nice.

I didn't used to like soups like this. My favorite soups feature meat (usually ham or bacon) and it was kind of a hard sell for me to embrace this fully vegan soup. The turning point for me was that roasting the squash was so easy. It's the kind of thing you can throw in a pan in five minutes, with any number of herbs and spices, and then just put in the oven and forget about it for an hour or so. Once it's cooked and cooled all you have to do it scrape the meat out of the skin of the squash and puree all the good bits from the bottom of the roasting pan.

For this version, I roasted the jalapenos right alongside the squash. The only issue with that is that they don't get as crunchy as they do when I pan fry them, so there wasn't anything to use as garnish in the end. To thicken the soup, I used almonds and almond milk, but if you have any kind of problem with nuts, just leave them out, it's plenty thick on it's own.

Best of all, this is completely vegan and gluten free. For those of you who are trying hard to get back on the right track post-New Year's celebrations, give this soup a try.

Butternut Squash Soup with Jalapeno and Sage

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large Butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
• 2 Jalapeno peppers, cut into rings (remove the seeds if you want to avoid too much spice)
• 1 Shallot, diced
• 1 small Red Onion, diced
• 4 sprigs Sage, shredded
• 2 cloves Garlic, peeled but not chopped
• 4 Tbsps Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 10 Almonds (optional)
• 1/8 cup Almond Milk (optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Position the squash cut side up in a roasting pan large enough to fit both halves of the butternut squash without them touching.
• Place the sage and garlic in the cavity of the squash.
• Add some of the olive oil and salt and pepper.
• Flip over the squash. You may need to move the garlic and herbs a bit to get them to fit back into the cavity no that the squash is skin side up.
• Place the jalapenos, onions and shallots in between the two halves of the squash.
• Drizzle remainder of olive oil over the top of all the ingredients.
• Roast everything for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the squash, until a knife easily goes through the meat.
• Once the squash is cool, scrape out the meat.
• Take everything left in the roasting pan and the meat of the squash and place them in a food processor. Add the almonds and almond milk (optional).
• Pulse until the texture you desire is reached.

Enjoy!

How to Make the Chutney

On a warm San Francisco Sunday we decided it was necessary to get some of our nice late Summer fruits canned up for the coming Fall. The chutney I ended up with is sweet and tangy, with a nice hint of sage, which is perfect with roast, especially pork.

It's a very simple recipe, and the way I did it, required little more than measuring (sort of), chopping and boiling down the fruits.

Herewith, the recipe.

Hope you enjoy it.

Orange, Fig and Sage Chutney

3 to 4 pounds Oranges, sliced into 8 pieces each

1 lb granulated Sugar

1 basket Figs (about 14 figs), sliced in half

3 sprigs Sage, minced1/4 cup Lemon juiceRind of 1/2 Orange

2 cups water, or enough to cover

Make the Chutney:

Put all the ingredients into a large, heavy bottomed pan, making sure there is enough water to cover the fruit.

Set over a medium heat and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture boils, lower the heat to a simmer and stir regularly to keep it from sticking to the pan.

While you are stirring, press down on the orange pieces to release the juice.

As soon as you are satisfied with the texture of yo

ur chutney (meaning it will be chunky, good for spreading on meats!), turn off the heat making sure that your jars/lids are ready to be filled.

Boil your jars and lids while the fruit is bubbling away in the other pan

 .

Take a large wide pan, fill with water, enough to submerge the jars and lids, and place on the heat to boil.

Once the water has boiled, lower to a simmer and keep the jars in the water for five minutes.

When the chutney is ready, remove each jar and lid one by one onto a

clean cloth, right side up, to keep them as sterile as possible.

Fill your jars and  seal them:

Ladle chutney into each jar, filling up to the bottom of the neck of the jar, leaving headspace for the sealing to go well.

Wipe down the top of the jar to make sure nothing is sticky on the outside, so that you can seal the jars, and they can be opened again.

Put the lid on and close it as tightly as you can.

Turn the jars upside down and leave to cool. This will seal the jars.

some people re-boil the filled jars, but I opt not to. if you want to, this is the time to do it!

The Jam Continues On

My friend and I did some more canning this past weekend. Ms. S is a lovely lady from Minnesota with a grandma in Iowa who taught her about all things preserved. I am not much of a measurer (ala Gran Fran), Ms. S measures everything to a T.

Needless to say, our jam session was interesting, what with me just chucking all sorts of stuff in my pot, and her making sure to follow her grandma's instructions to the letter. Of course, Ms. S ended up with a lovely and perfect batch of strawberry jam, which was perfectly set and tasted great.

I ended up with more of a chunky sauce, best to accompany meats. It's not that mine tastes bad, on the contrary, it tastes great. But, it's really hard to classify it. The ingredients are simple enough: oranges, figs, sugar, water, pectin, sage and cinnamon. The end result is really flavorful, just not necessarily for spreading on one's toast.

Mostly, I'm here to boast about how I used my first jar. By spreading it over a pork loin, that was placed atop carrots and new potatoes for roasting.  The jam melted into a wonderful sauce. It coated all the veggies and gave the pork a really nice sheen, not to mention the contrast of the sweet orange flavor with the meat.

The greatest part about working with Ms. S, was how we each approached our projects with such different attitudes. We acknowledged that though each of us had her own way, we could totally see the benefit to each of our methods. It's nice to find someone who is different from you, but who gets you so completely.

The recipe that follows is just for the pork loin. I want to refine the chutney recipe a bit more before I post it officially, so, for now, I will recommend that you use a nice orange marmalade instead.

Pork Loin, Carrots and Potatoes with Orange Jam


Ingredients

• 2 pounds Pork Loin
• 8-10 New or Fingerling Potatoes cut into quarters
• 2 large Carrots, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
• 3 sprigs fresh Sage, chopped coarsley
• 1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
• Oil for searing the meat
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Method

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a heavy-bottomed non-reactive oven proof pan on the stove over medium-high heat. When it is heated well, add olive oil to coat the bottom.
• Put the pork loin in the hot pan and sear on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
• Once the meat is seared, pick it up with tongs and put the potatoes and carrots beneath in the pan, then put the pork on top of the veggies.
• Spread the marmalade, jam or whatever saucy goodness you are using over the meat, making sure to coat it thoroughly. It's also nice to get some of it on the veggies, so they get a little crispy and sweet while they cook.
• Sprinkle sage over the pork and add some salt and pepper.
• Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes.