Butternut Squash Soup

I like happy colors in the winter just as much as I like a hot meal. Combine both of these likes to make a soup I love!! Unlike the versions in restaurants, I omit the heavy cream or cream cheese to make a lighter vegan  version that is more savory and less like pie filling.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 medium white onions

3 ribs celery

2 carrots

3 coins ginger

1/2 butternut squash

1/2 calabeza squash (or pumpkin, acorn, kabocha, etc)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

pinch of cayenne

Salt to taste

Optional: 1 sweet potato

1. Turn your oven to 375 with the rack in the middle.
2. Scoop out the seeds and "guts" of the squash. Place cut side down on an aluminum foil covered sheet pan. If you're including sweet potato, roast it with the squash.
3. Bake for 1 hour until fork tender.
4. Cool until it can be handled.
5. While the squash is roasting, prepare the vegetable stock. In a large pot, saute onions in a little olive oil. When transparent, add celery, carrots, and ginger.
6. Add water to cover and simmer for about an hour.
7. Scoop cooled squash into the vegetable stock using a spoon.
8. Using an immersion blender, puree the whole pot together. Serve hot or cold with a handful of pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Pork Congee (Jook or Rice Porridge)

While chicken soup is the American sick kid meal of choice, mine happens to be congee, a Chinese rice porridge. I actually used to hate congee, known as jook in my house. It can be bland, watery, and fickle when reheating. But as my mom continued to perfect her recipe and we added a multitude of ingredients, jook has become one of my favorite comfort foods. Its filling and hearty, without being heavy. Its hot and replenishes you with fluids in an easy to digest dish. And best of all, its very easy to customize to your tastes.

My house always begins with making stock. I favor pork stock because its easier to make and there are less hazards from small bones. Making chicken stock requires straining and its easier to have stringy meat, although the flavor is cleaner. Feel free to use canned broth and skip steps 1-5.

1.5 pounds pork bones (my super market carries neck, mom gets the spine - anything goes)
1 onion, small diced
1 rib celery, small diced
3 thick coins ginger
3 cloves garlic, slightly smashed
1.5 cups dry rice
6-8 mushrooms, sliced

Topping (per serving):
1/2 scallions, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1. Take a large pot and heat on high for a minute.
2. Sear the pork bones until browned on all sides.
3. Turn the heat to medium. Add in the chopped onion, celery,  ginger, and garlic. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. (If it seems too difficult, add in a tablespoon or two of rice wine or water.
4. When the onions are translucent and cooked through, add water to cover the contents of the pot. Turn heat to low and let it simmer for an hour.
5. 30 min before dinner, uncover the pot and check the water level. Add more to cover the contents of the stock.
6. Optional step: Remove the pork bones. And separate the meat. From the bones. Put the meat into a bowl and shred. Discard bones.
7. Add the uncooked rice and stir. Let the pot simmer, covered for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. At the end, as the rice is cooked and the rice begins to break into smaller grains, you will need to stir more often
8. because the bottom will stick. I like my congee thick, about oatmeal consistency. If you like it thinner, you can always cook shorter or add more water.
9. Serve topped with scallions and sesame seeds.

Barbecued Steak

Ever get a craving for man food? I mean, I usually tend to stick to girly foods like yogurt, chicken, and salads, but every once in a while, I get a craving for a good steak - a real 'meat and potatoes' kind of meal. (That craving, funnily enough, usually coincides with a strong desire to use the awesome cast iron grill pan my mom gave me.) And so, tonight, I went to the grocery store for inspiration.

As I perused the produce, this beautiful, plump sweet potato leaped out of the bin and into my arms, simply begging me to take it home. Who am I to turn down such a tantalizing tuber? I added it to my basket and continued strolling down the aisle until I stumbled upon some baby spinach. Hmm, I thought to myself, I haven't had sauteed spinach in quite a while. I do love spinach. The next thing I knew, I had all the ingredients for a delectable meal.

I came home, cranked up the oven to about 400 degrees, washed the sweet potato, wrapped it in foil, and put it into the oven. Then, I made a scaled-down version of my quick and easy barbecue sauce to use as a marinade for the steak. I let the steak marinate for about forty-five minutes as I regretted buying such a large sweet potato. After the potato finished cooking, I took it out of the oven and switched on the broiler. Then I heated up my grill pan, seared my steak, and popped it into the oven to finish cooking while I sauteed the spinach. By the time the spinach was cooked, the steak was ready to come out of the oven. I unwrapped my potato, topped it with a little butter and brown sugar, and - voila! - dinner was served. I love it when a good meal just flows so naturally!


Orange and Garlic Sauteed Spinach

• 1 tbs. butter
• 1.5 tbs. minced garlic
• Baby spinach, about 3-4 handfuls
• Half of an orange
• A pinch of kosher salt

1. Melt butter in a large pan over low heat.
2. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two until very fragrant.
3. Add spinach, stirring a little bit until it's almost wilted.
4. Squeeze the orange over the spinach.
   
5. Add salt to taste. (You won't need very much.)

Cheatin' Barbecue Sauce

• 1.5 tbs. ketchup
• 1/4 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tbs. Coke (use more or less, depending upon your desired consistency)
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• Cracked black pepper (a few grinds)

1. Combine ketchup, soy sauce, and Coke. (If you want a thick barbecue sauce, use less Coke; if you prefer a more watery sauce - which I do - use more.)
2. Add the rest of the seasonings, adjusting for your own personal tastes. (Be forewarned that while this sauce is sweet, it does have a bit of residual heat. If you're not okay with that, you should probably take it easy on the Cayenne and red pepper flakes.)
3. The more you let this sauce sit, the better. It'll keep for several weeks if you put it into an airtight container in the fridge.

Barbecued Steak

• Barbecue sauce (see recipe above)
• Steak (Flank or skirt work well. I used one that was a little smaller than an index card and about 3/4" thick.)

1. Brush barbecue sauce onto meat and seal into an airtight container to marinate for at least an hour, but up to overnight.
2. Turn on the broiler.
3. Preheat oven-safe grill pan until it's super hot.
4. Sear steak on both sides. *NOTE: Here's how to get those awesome cross-hatch grill marks: Place your steak on the hot grill. Do not jiggle it. And for goodness' sake, do NOT press on it! (You'll squeeze all the juices out of it, resulting in a tough, dry steak.) After a minute or two (depending on the thickness of your steak), use tongs (NOT A FORK - again, the juices!) to turn your steak 45 degrees. Let it cook for another minute or two before flipping the steak and repeating the process.*
5. If your steak is thick, you may want to finish cooking it by sticking the steak - grill pan and all - under the broiler. If it's thin, you may be able to simply cook it to your desired doneness in the pan. **ANOTHER NOTE: Do not use a thermometer - or worse, cut into your steak - to check how done it is. Yet again: you will cause all of the juices to leak out. Instead, use your palm and your fingertips as your guide to doneness. "What are you talking about?" you say. I'm so very glad you asked: Turn your hand so your palm faces upward. Now touch your index finger to your thumb. Seriously, do it. Now poke at that fatty part of your palm, right beneath your thumb. Do you feel that? That's what a rare steak feels like. Now try it with your middle finger and thumb - that's medium rare. Use your ring finger for medium and your pinky for well-done. (Although, if you like your steak well-done, I'd suggest you make chicken instead.) You're welcome.**
6. Once your steak is finished cooking, move it to a plate and let it rest for a few minutes. (Yes, you actually have to do this. It allows the juices to redistribute. If you skip this step and just cut into your hot steak, its juices will end up on the plate instead of your mouth and all of your work will have been for naught.)