Today I made a soup that I last tried years ago. The first time, I made it with butternut squash "from scratch" and used a vegetable stock I didn't really like. This time, I bought the pre-chopped butternut squash from Trader Joe's, which made the soup much easier to prepare. Basically, you saute two onions in 1/3 cup olive oil, add 10 cups of stock, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste, and 1 cup of canned diced tomatoes with their liquid. Then you bring it to a boil, add 2 cups of diced butternut squash (I chopped the Trader Joe's squash into smaller pieces), lower it to a "lively simmer," and add 4 cups of kale and 2 cups of drained canned white beans after the squash is tender (about 20 minutes). Once you've added the kale and beans, you cook it for 10-15 minutes more. It was magically delicious. Zoe loves the squash. She asked if I can put it in her lunch next week. And the good stock is Kitchen Basics vegetable stock - low sodium, but still tasty.
Vegetable personalities
At the risk that you'll all think I'm nuts...but heck. I was getting cauliflower ready for dinner and it occurred to me that vegetables have different personalities. In my mind, anyway. Zucchini: the most agreeable of vegetables. It blends in with everyone, but it's never obsequious or false to itself. Sweet potatoes: the grandmother of vegetables. Very cozy and welcoming. Cauliflower: kind of bland, devoid of personality, but it could surprise you sometimes. Like a dull guy who occasionally tells a funny joke at the water cooler. Broccoli: feisty. Like a terrier. Spinach: kind of dour, but a loyal friend. Kale: has a fierce sense of individuality, but like spinach, is a loyal friend. Kale's affections last for life. Corn: this one is kind of a party animal. Corn is still drinking beer and making a mess when you'd like to be closing up. Tomatoes: a little sloppy. The kind of vegetable that needs to be reminded to tuck its shirt into its pants. Cabbage: not invited t
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