Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

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Pumpkin soup 2

A couple of years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to spend 2 years in Germany.  We absolutely loved living there and really miss it a lot. Actually, the only time I don’t miss Germany is in the summer.  Those summers in Stuttgart with no air conditioning were pretty brutal; however, the heat usually only lasted a couple of months, and it was followed by blue skies and cool breezes.  It was time to start planning the yearly trip to Munich for Oktoberfest.  But more important, it was time for Kürbissuppe, or pumpkin soup.

It seemed like every restaurant in Germany had seasonal dishes that you found everywhere.  Oh, how I miss those big fat white asparagus during Spargelzeit in Spring.  You always knew it was fall in Germany when the apples and walnuts appeared on the trees, and pumpkin soup appeared on the menu.

Herrenberg Street

I lived in a beautiful town just South of Stuttgart, called Herrenberg.  It wasn’t large, or small. In the words of one famous fictitious little girl; “it was just right.”  We lived close enough to walk downtown to the farmers’ market, the train station, and a few really good restaurants. I first had pumpkin soup at the Hotel Hasen Restaurant.  They always did something really original  with standard German cuisine, and this soup was one of those dishes.  If you ever have the opportunity to travel to Stuttgart, Germany, I highly recommend taking a side trip to Herrenberg.  In the meantime, let’s celebrate fall by making pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin soup 1

Pumpkin Soup with Coconut and Thai Curry

I’ve played around with this recipe for awhile.  I’ve made it with both fresh and canned pumpkin.  These days I’m leaning more towards keeping things fairly simple, so I made it with canned pumpkin. Make sure you use straight pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.  You could also use butternut or other winter squash.  I garnished the soup with a swirl of pumpkin seed oil, some chives, and a few toasted pumpkin seeds.  You can use any of those, some, or none.  A dollop of crème fraiche would also be nice.

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 leek, cleaned and diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1/4 cup)

2 pounds sweet potato, diced

2 16-ounce cans pumpkin

Juice of 2 limes

2 teaspoons red curry paste

8 cups vegetable broth

1 can coconut milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1.  Sauté the onion and leek in the coconut oil until limp.

2.  Add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking 1 more minute.

3.  Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until potato is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

4.  Puree the soup in batches in a blender.  Taste soup and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

    

Whole Wheat Soda Bread

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soda bread loaf

Now that it’s fall, it’s time for soups and stews, and a nice savory bread to go with them.  I love bread, and I love making bread, but I don’t always have the time for the kneading, rising, punching down, and forming process that is generally required for a yeast bread.  Okay, it’s a whole lot easier these days with a sturdy mixer with a dough hook, but it still takes time. This soda bread is quick and easy to prepare, and it goes just as well with a hearty chowder as it does with butter and jam with afternoon tea.

soda bread pieces2

As a child, my only experience with soda bread was when my mom made it on Saint Patrick’s Day.  We thought it was pretty cool, probably because we only had it once a year and it had raisins in it.  I’ve made several versions of that bread over the years including my mom’s recipe. This bread is considerably more rustic than those other versions.  It’s the bread that Irish and Scottish mothers and grandmothers have been making everyday for hundreds of years.

Last night we went to the Maryland Renaissance festival, specifically to attend a concert by this band.  It was dusk, the wind was whispering through the trees, a light drizzle was falling, and the haunting bagpipe music filled the air.  For just a short time I was transported to a world far away where work and daily life were far simpler than today. I think this bread would be part of that imaginary life.

Whole Wheat Soda Bread

1 Loaf

Soda bread is best eaten the day it is baked.  If that’s not possible, you can freeze the remainder, thawing it out the same day you intend to serve it.

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1.5-2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Whisk the flours, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.

2. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in 1.5 cups buttermilk.  Stir the buttermilk into the flour working from the center to the outside of the bowl.  Add more buttermilk if needed.

3.  Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and shape the dough into a neat ball, tucking the edges underneath the dough ball to smooth it.  Do not knead the dough as this will develop gluten and toughen the dough.  Use your hands to flatten the dough ball into a disc about 1.5 inches thick.  Transfer the dough to a baking sheet.

4.  Cut a cross or “X” into the top of the dough, then use a knife to prick the center of each of the four sections.  Cutting the dough in this way allows more heat to enter the center of the bread, resulting in more even baking.

5.  Bake the bread for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 400 degrees F. and continue baking for another 20-25 minutes.  The bread should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.  Remove from the pan and cool the bread on a wire rack.  Allow to cool before cutting into wedges to serve.

Adapted from Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen

Potato Gratin Inspired by L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

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L'Atelier Potato Gratin

About a year ago I was fortunate enough to meet my husband in Rabat, Morocco, where he was traveling on business.  Unfortunately I did not take into account that the trip was during Ramadan. There was a haunting beauty about the place, and I would love to return someday; however, it was blazing hot, nothing was open until after sundown, and I had a plane ticket to Paris in my pocket.  I bid my husband adieu and fled.

Rabat Wall

During my short stay in Paris I had the opportunity to eat at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

L'Atelier

There I had one of what I refer to as my “culinary experiences” – meals or things I’ve done that have a lasting impression on the way I cook (and eat).  Talk about gob-smacked!  Every single ingredient sang and added something unique to each dish.  So, after the trip, the first thing I did was order a cookbook to remind me of my experience.

A few nights ago I was looking for inspiration for a potato dish for dinner and started leafing through the recipes in this book.  I wasn’t in the mood for scraping mashed potatoes through a strainer, but a potato gratin sounded good.  This one uses broth and cheese and sounded really good, and wow, was it ever.  I hope you think the same thing.  A word of warning: this dish was quite a bit of work.  It’s probably not something to start preparing on a Friday evening after a long workweek, as I did.

Potato Gratin

6 Servings

You can adapt this recipe in many different ways.  I used a colorful mix of small potatoes, but Yukon gold or red potatoes would work just as well.  If you use larger potatoes cut them into chunks before cooking them.  I used a combination of beef and chicken broth, but again, all beef, all chicken or even vegetable broth would work just as well.  The same goes for the cheese.  I recommend gruyere because it melts nicely, but any type will do. I try to stay away from buying more kitchen equipment than I can use on a regular basis, so I didn’t run out and buy individual round gratin dishes as the original recipe called for, but if you have them, go for it! 

  • 1.5 pounds potatoes, peeled
  • 1 quart broth (beef, chicken, vegetable or a combination)
  • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of mild oil or bacon grease
  • 4 ounces bacon, about 6 slices
  • 3 tablespoons white wine
  • 6 ounces gruyere or other cheese, thinly sliced or grated
  • white pepper

1. Combine the potatoes, broth, unpeeled garlic and thyme sprigs in a large pot, and cook potatoes until they are done, but still firm, 15-20 minutes.  Set aside half a cup of the cooking liquid, drain the potatoes, and slice them into 1/4-inch slices.

2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan, add the leeks and the scallions, cover and sweat on medium low heat until soft, about 15 minutes.

3. Set aside the leek mixture and add the oil and the bacon to the same pan.  Cook the bacon then add the white wine and the leek mixture to the pan.  Cook 2 minutes to blend flavors than add the reserved potato cooking liquid.  Cook over low heat until all liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spread bacon mixture in the bottom of a large gratin dish or 4 small round ones. Arrange a layer of potato slices over the bacon then a layer of cheese, repeat with another layer of potatoes and  cheese.  Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and garnish with thyme leaves and white pepper.

5.  Place dish in the center of the oven and bake until bubbling and golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

Adapted from L’Atelier of Joël Robuchon – the Artistry of a Master Chef and his Protégés by Patricia Wells