Mexican Squash Soup with Lime Crema

This recipe is inspired by a bowl of squash soup I had on a blustery day at Barrio. Any kind of orange squash is fine for this: pumpkin, delicata, kabocha, acorn or butternut. In a pinch, canned pumpkin puree gives an acceptable result.

I use El Guapo brand New Mexico chili powder, widely available in Hispanic markets and better stocked national chains. If using a spicier chili powder adjust red chili flakes accordingly or ormit altogether.


Ingredients

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 small or half large yellow onion, quartered and sliced
canola oil
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned is fine)
1 pound pureed orange squash or canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon mild New Mexico chili powder
pinch red chili flakes

4 tablespoons cashew cream or creme fraiche
lime juice
salt

Toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) - optional

Method:

Roast the garlic in tin foil in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Peel.

Saute the onion in the oil until translucent.

Put the garlic, onions, tomatoes, broth or water, in blender or food processor and process until the mixture is well combined but still has some texture. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, add the pumpkins puree and stir until well combined. Add the chili powder and chili flakes. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile make the crema by combining the cashew cream or creme fraiche, lime juice and salt to taste. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Serve the soup hot, garnished with the crema and optional pepitas.

Makes four servings.


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Vegetable Torte

Mark Bittman has a faulous video/recipe for vegetable torte.

Watercress

Great article on watercress in today's Dining section in the NY Times. Three recipes -- two vegetarian and one that easily could be -- included in the sidebar.

Lentil Pecan Pate

I first had this at Cafe Flora in Seattle and reversed engineered a recipe I was (and am) quite happy with. The recipe for their version eventually became available in their cookbook and mine is quite different. But since I'm happy with it, I'm sticking with it.

Ingredients:

1 cup of lentils
2 bay leaves
2 cups water

1 onion, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
olive oil

1 cup pecan pieces

1/4 cup tahini
water

2 T minced onion

Salt to taste, at least a teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
ground pepper to taste


Cook the lentils in the water until quite soft, adding more water if necessary.

Saute the onions in oil until they start to brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is no longer raw.

Heat the oven to 350 and toast the pecans until they just start to brown, four to five minutes.

Put the tahini a food processor and blend, adding water until the mixture is the texture of thick cream. Add the onion garlic mix, raw onion, lentils and half the pecans and process until smooth.

Add the salt, pepper and spices and combine well. Correct seasoning as necessary. The mix should be slightly overseasoned at this point, as the remaining pecans are still to go in, and because the mix will mellow over time.

Chop the remaining pecans fairly fine and combine them with the puree in a mixing bowl. Correct seasoning if necessary. This can be served right away, but it improves by sitting for 24 hours to allow the flavors to mellow.

Serve with olives, cornichons, caper berries, onion confit, and baguette slices or crackers.

This recipe makes enough to serve 12 to 15 as part of an appetizer buffet. Leftovers make wonderful "meatloaf" sandwiches. In fact sometimes I mix up a batch of this specifically for sandwiches. It freezes well.

Blender note: It's possible to make this in a blender, but you will need to process the mix in batches and will need to add some additional water. But it will still turn out fine. If there are a few lentils that aren't fully pureed, that's fine too.