Food Holidays for the week of 2 February

In the United States today is Groundhog Day. According to folklore, if the groundhog (Punxsutawney Phil), sees his shadow there will be six weeks of snow.If he doesn't see his shadow, spring will arrive soon.  Whether Phil sees his shadow or not, consider celebrating one of more of this week's food holidays:

• February 2: Heavenly Hash Day AND  National Pisco Sour Day
• February 3: National Carrot Cake Day
• February 4: Homemade Soup Day AND National Stuffed Mushroom Day

February 5: National Chocolate Fondue Day AND World Nutella Day February 6: National Chopsticks Day February 7: National Fettuccine Alfredo Day February 8: Molasses Bar Day

Recently, in cooking class, I learned that there are three types of soups: clear, smooth and consomme.  An example of a clear soup is chicken noodle soup. The soup's ingredients are suspended in a translucent liquid. An example of a smooth soup is my beloved butternut squash soup. Multiple ingredients may be used to make the soup, but mixture is pureed before final presentation. Consomme  begins with a strong stock and  relies up a 'raft' to clarify the mixture and add flavor.  I'll talk more about soups later in the week. 

Which holidays will you celebrate this week? Which holidays are  a surprise? Share your comments below.

Have a great week!

Be well,

Technicolor girl

image  created by Ink+ LLC

Thought of the day

 Worries go down better with soup.

 ~Jewish Proverb

 

 

Butternut squash soup -a smooth and savory recipe

I enjoy a bowl eating of warm soup, chili or stew  when the temperatures begin to drop. Recently, I wanted butternut squash soup. I had a butternut squash in the refrigerator, but hadn't decided which recipe I would follow to make the soup. I stumbled upon a butternut squash soup created by Emeril Lagasse on Food Network.

Ingredients

• 1 Butternut squash, about 2 pounds
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeno pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

I checked the recipe ingredients list and determined the only ingredients I would need to purchase were a second squash, a jalapeno pepper, chicken stock, and heavy cream - a quick trip to the nearby supermarket would suffice.

photo by TEP

Peeling and seeding the butternut squash took the most time.  After getting all the ingredients ready, I heated the peanut oil in a large pot. The onion and garlic were added to the pot first and cooked for about 5 minutes. Per the directions, I added the carrots, cumin, salt and pepper next. The next step was adding the squash, jalapeno and chicken. Once the mixture came to a boil, I reduced the heat. After 20 minutes I poured the mixture into my food processor and pureed it until it was smooth. The mixture was then returned to the pot; I added the cream and once well blended I poured myself a bowl.

photo by TEP

The soup was smooth and creamy, but the jalapeno pepper added a wonderfully  savory element to the soup. The soup was easy to store in the refrigerator and leftover soup retained the savory element.
 
I could see pairing this soup with a sandwich, salad or eating it alone.  I plan to make this easy to prepare, filling soup again very soon.

Do you have a favorite soup or stew? Share in the comments below.

Be well,

Technicolor girl

image created by Ink+ LLC