gourmet, unbound

spicy butternut squash soup

Today it rained and rained and rained some more. It felt like the rain was never going to stop and while I was happy to be puttering around my home, cooking and writing and working on a few side projects, I did miss going outside, if only for a minute. It definitely felt more like October than December, which is perhaps while I’ve had soup on my mind. I also stayed around in my fleece pants, read a whole book, mulled some cider, toyed with making ice cream, but decided against it, and reorganized my spice pantry. I’d like to think that for a lazy rainy day, I did pretty well.

I’m an odd bird in that I don’t actually want to nap when it’s so sleepy out. I actually like to putter around my kitchen. I drink endless cups of tea and avoid doing dishes. That’s what kills me on a day like today – dishes. Can anything be less exciting? Can’t they just wash themselves? My dishwasher, undoubtedly one of my favorite appliances of all time, needs to grow some arms and learn how to pre-rinse. My girlfriends tell me that such things are possible, and they are usually called husbands. Duly noted, ladies.

I altered the soup quite a bit, omitting the shrimp, and allowing the soup to be vegan. I pumped up the spices a bit by adding some red curry paste, sambal olek, lemongrass, and in lieu of water – coconut milk. And finally, to make the flavors brighter – juice of one lime. What I got at the end is a Thai-spiced soup that’s exactly what this day needed – a fortification against the elements outside and lack of sunshine. And while I eat it, I can imagine the dishes doing themselves, even if, upon getting back in the kitchen, I’ll find them hanging out in the sink waiting for me to do the honors. 

For someone who itches to get to the gym just about every day, I’ve been very lackadaisical about it this month; there’s been so many events and commitments and I’ve been feeling pretty run down. It’s time for a vacation, one full of sunshine, beaches, palm trees and umbrella drinks. But in the mean time, there’s this soup. This warm, soothing, filling soup. In a month known for cookies and eggnog, I bring you this soup because man cannot live on cookies alone. He can try, but ultimately he will crave something that will be the antidote to a day that can be more accurately described as a puddle. And this is where this soup enters. Cozy and comforting, it’s the equivalent of a food snuggie, except much prettier.

A Salad for December

I always turned greedily through the pages of each new December issue of Gourmet, daydreaming of creamed butter and sugar, cinnamon and cloves, gingerbread and festive dinner tables. It's a month of decadence, of champagne and crispy latkes with homemade applesauce, of my mother's cioppino and Oregon pinot noir, of braised brisket or short ribs or fancy roasts. Gourmet had menus for all sorts of festive occasions.

But in December I also start needing something fresh and light for the days between holiday parties. Gourmet was there for us then, too, with recipes like this delicious salad of bitter greens and bright citrus. I ate a plateful the other night, and immediately wanted it again the next night. The dressing is rich and just sweet enough to balance the slightly bitter greens. It's a vitamin-C powerhouse meal, though I fattened it up a bit with some avocado (and some bread with goat cheese on the side.)

I wasn't able to track down the gorgeous blood oranges shown in the recipe for this salad, so I used a sliced tangerine along with a pomelo. I'd never actually eaten a pomelo before, and now I'm a huge fan: they taste a bit like grapefruit infused with honey.

The original recipe is here, from Gourmet's December 2008 issue.

The addition of the pomelo and avocado were a success, and I wouldn't worry too much about perfectly removing the fruit segments from the membrane.

Here's wishing all of you a happy and healthy holiday season.

December Roundup, continued!

We keep receiving great links celebrating Gourmet's many Decembers—keep 'em coming! We'll post—and drool over—your December recipes through the 15th. Raring to go? Get started on January recipes. Submit by the first to be included in the first roundup! *Only posts submitted by January first will be considered for featured posts starting in January!

Former Chef (Red Curry Shrimp Skewers, 2008)

 

Savour Fare (Skibo Castle Ginger Crunch, 1999)

Still hungry?
There's more...

The Mango Lassie (Walnut Spice Cake with Lemon Glaze, 1992)

Brownies for Dinner (Lemon Butter Cookies, 2003)

A Little Bit of Christo (Nuoc Cham dipping sauce for fried spring rolls, 2004)

Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Kitchen (Peppermint Patties, 2007)

When A Door Closes... (Braised Short Ribs, 1975)

Lilly & Audrey's Everything Food and Entertaining (scroll down a bit for post) (Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne, 2001)

basic butter cookies - december 2003

For all the people that said Gourmet had gotten too fancy and fell out of touch with its readers, I have three words: basic butter cookies. While combing Epicurious online, this recipe was listed as an ingredient in many of Gourmet's other cookie recipes. I was torn between a savory bread pudding and this recipe to kick off the official launch of our little project here at Gourmet, unbound. Olga was my tie breaker. The more I thought about it, this recipe was a perfect beginning. It's going back to the basics, and a reminder that ingredients do not need to be exotic—it's what you do with them that makes the difference.