Butternut Squash Soup + Rye Bread Croutons

I love this soup in the fall.  The temperatures are getting cooler and the squash is found everywhere.  Its easy as hell to make and tastes great, especially when topped with homemade croutons.  Enjoy by the fire with friends and a glass of bourbon.

Soup
Makes ~4 quarts
3 medium to large butternut squash : peeled (a carrot peeler works well), quartered lengthwise and seeded.
3 apples : peeled, quartered and seeded
tsp dried sage
half a nutmeg grated
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil, butter 1 tbsp each

preheat oven to 350 F
put all of the ingredients in a large dutch oven or oven proof stock pot and add a cup of water. cover and place in oven for 1 hour.  remove from oven and let cool to room temp.  puree with hand blender or in batches in a food processor.  reheat when ready to serve and top with your croutons. done.

Rye Bread Croutons
cut your rye bread into small cubes
toss with a little olive oil
season with salt
spread evenly on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until golden.
you can store any unused croutons in an airtight container and use on salads too.

Ice Cold Tea

Hot out? Make some ice cold tea.

• Bring a 1 1/2 quart pot of water to boil
• Turn off heat and add 6-7 black tea bags to water
• Add honey, sugar or other sweetener to your tea (to the sweetness level of your liking)
• Add a handful of fresh mint sprigs to the tea
• Let cool to room temp. Discard tea bags and mints sprigs
• Store in large glass mason jar or glass pitcher in your fridge
• Serve over ice with a slice of lemon and a mint sprig

Quick and Healthy Vegan Soup

With a handful of staple ingredients and one hour of time (prep to complete) you can throw together a quick, healthy and tasty soup.

2 stalks celery - diced
2 carrots - diced
onion  - diced
garlic clove - minced
big bunch kale - chopped finely
tsp mixed dried herbs
cup of quinoa
cup frozen peas or corn
water

in a gallon pot, saute your carrot, onion, celery in olive oil for 7 minutes. season with salt and pepper.  add garlic and herbs. saute for minute.  fill the  pot with water (stop 2 inches from top) and bring to boil.  add your quinoa and kale and cook for 30 min on low boil.  Add your frozen veg, mix thoroughly.  EAT.

like a little kick? add a couple dashes cayenne pepper at the end.

Shtokhome

Ok, its really called a Stolkhom, but I like saying SHTOKHOME.  Great cocktail for the winter months and especially for holiday parties because you can make a large batch and have people self serve. Got this from a The Art of the Bar cocktail book.

Vodka
Lemon juice
Simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water heated until sugar is dissolved, then allowed to chill) Love lemons as much as I do? Try adding the rind of a lemon to the syrup just after the sugar's melted and allow to steep for 20-30 minutes before straining.
Procsecco or Champagne

1 Drink
1.5 OZ Vodka
.75 OZ Lemon juice
.5 OZ simple syrup
combine above ingredients and pour over a glass filled with ice.  top with a splash or 2 of prosecco.



Skol!

Kale Kale Bo Bale

Have a ton of kale on hand from your CSA or local farmers market?  Try this soup.

Large onion chopped
3-4 celery stalks chopped
3-4 carrots cleaned halved
3 garlic cloves smashed
bay leaf and a tbsp of mixed dried herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, whatever

Part 1

• Fill a pot with the above ingredients
• Cover veggies with water plus 2 inches
• Bring to boil and simmer partially covered for 1 hour

Large bunch of kale - stems discarded, leaves diced and chopped and diced some more.
3 cups of chopped mushrooms (portabello, button, cremini, whichever you like most)
2 garlic cloves smashed and diced
1 cup of barley cooked according to package instructions (OR add barley and 2.5x amount of water to pot, boil, cover, reduce to low, cook 20-30 min)

Part 2

• In a large soup pot, warm a tbsp of olive oil and sautee mushrooms until nicely browned and very soft.  
• Throw in kale a handful at a time, mixing and adding additional handfuls once the previous handful of kale is wilted and soft. 
• When all kale has been added and wilted, add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  
• Add a good pinch of salt.  
• Strain the veggie stock from Part 1 into the kale and mushrooms.  
• Discard the onion and celery,  save the carrots, slice them up and add to the kale and mushrooms.  
• Bring to boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes until the kale is very soft.  
• Add the barley and mix to warm. 

NOTE  : If you prefer the soup to be thick and stewlike, boil uncovered until you achieve desired thickness .  If you prefer brothier soup, add water until desired brothiness is achieved.

Serve it with toasted bread, top with a sprinkle of parm cheese.  enjoy!

More Brisket

4-5lbs brisket - trimmed of external fat

3 large carrots - diced

3 celery stalks - diced

Medium onion - diced

Large Potato diced

3 cloves garlic crushed

Bay leaf

Fresh rosemary sprig

Chicken broth/stock - 2-3 cups

Large can crushed tomatoes (2-3 cups worth)

Preheat oven to 300F

On stove top, over high heat, warm dutch oven or other oven safe pan with lid, with a couple tbsp olive oil.  Salt brisket and sear on both sides - 4 min per side. Remove meat to large plate. Pour off most of fat from pan.

In same pan - saute onion, 2/3 of celery, 2/3 of carrot on med until soft. Add garlic. Saute 30 seconds. Add pinch salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, rosemary and bring to boil. Add pinch salt and pepper.Add meat back to pan.  Cover and put in oven for 3 hrs.

5-10 minutes before removing brisket from oven...

Saute in clean pot the remaining 1/3 of carrot  and celery and potato in tbsp olive oil. 

Remove brisket from oven.  Remove brisket to large plate and keep warm.  Strain the sauce into clean pot with your freshly sauteed veggies and boil 15 min.

Slice meat and pour sauce and veggies over and enjoy.

Oozer cakes

like rich, chocolaty, warm, awesomeness? try these. they are fairly easy to make and delicious.

4 oz semi sweet baking chocolate
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 tbsp flour

preheat oven to 425 degrees

• melt butter and chocolate together in a bowl set over boiling water and wisk until smooth and remove from heat
• stir in vanilla and sugar
• stir in eggs and yolk
• stir in flour
• make sure its all well combined and nice and smooth

pour the batter into 4 6oz (5oz guys will do too) buttered ramekins and place on a baking sheet in oven for 13-15 minutes.
let cool 1 minute
loosen the edges with a knife and flip onto a plate

DIG IN!