{"id":5299,"date":"2011-12-07T18:25:49","date_gmt":"2011-12-08T01:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/?p=5299"},"modified":"2011-12-14T17:16:41","modified_gmt":"2011-12-15T00:16:41","slug":"spicy-soup-soothes-the-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/spicy-soup-soothes-the-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"Spicy soup soothes the soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had a harsh introduction to winter in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where I live.<\/p>\n

Ferocious winds buffeted the redwoods surrounding my house for three days and nights last week, uprooting a huge tree just up the road, knocking down a utility pole and sending a long limb crashing through a skylight in the living room.\u00a0 The power was out for four days and the DSL just returned.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve lived here a long time and we\u2019re used to the electricity going out in the middle of big storms.\u00a0 We have a generator to keep the refrigerator, freezer and a couple of lamps running.\u00a0 But cooking becomes a challenge when the oven doesn\u2019t work and you have to wear a backpacker\u2019s headlamp to see clearly what you\u2019re chopping.<\/p>\n

I was grateful to have a beautiful red kabocha squash sitting on the kitchen counter when the lights went out.\u00a0 With a little curry paste, chicken stock and some coconut milk from the pantry, it made a spicy but soothing soup to improve our mood during a difficult week.<\/p>\n

Of course it helps if you happen to have a squash on your counter and some Asian ingredients in your pantry.\u00a0 But this soup is so simple and flavorful, it\u2019s worth stocking up for future emergencies. The Asian ingredients are commonplace in supermarkets now and hard-skinned winter squashes keep for quite a while in a cool, dry place.<\/p>\n

The inspiration for this dish comes from the gardening\/cooking journal, \u201cTender,\u201d by Nigel Slater (Ten Speed Press, 2009).\u00a0 Slater is a gifted British cook who writes about the down-to-earth food that real people eat.\u00a0 His book is my go-to reference for interesting recipes using fresh produce.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Since the red kabocha, often called Japanese pumpkin, is an especially sweet and meaty winter squash, I was pretty sure it would work in the \u201cpumpkin laksa for a cold night,\u201d based on a traditional Malaysian soup.\u00a0 Butternut squash would work, too, although the flavor is not as rich.<\/p>\n

To save time and energy, I steamed the flesh unpeeled.\u00a0 It was much easier to cut away after it had softened in the steam.\u00a0 I also added baby spinach leaves to give the soup enough substance for a one-dish meal.<\/p>\n

Slater probably would be appalled that I\u2019ve substituted jarred curry paste for the homemade version in his recipe.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure his would be far better, too, but I didn\u2019t have those ingredients on hand.<\/p>\n

The first time I made this soup, I wildly overestimated the appropriate amount of commercial curry paste and produced an almost inedible concoction.\u00a0 Even my husband, who loves fiery food, found it hard to finish a bowl.<\/p>\n

I may have erred on the side of caution with this recipe, so feel free to add more if it\u2019s too mild for you.\u00a0 The spices add a warming tingle to the creamy soup accented with lime.<\/p>\n

When temperatures drop and winds blow, this is just the soup to have in your repertoire.<\/p>\n

RED KABOCHA SQUASH SOUP RECIPE<\/strong>
\nServes 4<\/em>
\n1 pound fresh kabocha squash, unpeeled
\n4 ounces dried rice noodles
\nSesame oil
\n2 cups chicken broth (16 ounce aseptic box)
\n1\u00be cups coconut milk (13.6 ounce can)
\n2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, or more, to taste
\n2 cups, packed, fresh spinach leaves, washed
\n2 tablespoons fish sauce
\n1 tablespoon tamari
\nJuice of 1 lime
\nChopped fresh cilantro for garnishRemove seeds and cut squash into large chunks.\u00a0 Steam chunks over boiling water until a small, sharp knife easily pierces the skin and slides through the flesh.\u00a0 Remove from heat.\u00a0 When cool, remove skin by slipping a long, slender knife between the flesh and skin and carefully cutting it away.\u00a0 Cut cooked squash into pieces about 1-inch square.\u00a0 Set aside.Cook rice noodles according package instructions.\u00a0 Drain into a colander, rinse thoroughly in cold water. Toss noodles with a few drops of sesame oil, separating the strands so they don\u2019t stick together.In a large, deep saucepan, whisk together broth and coconut milk.\u00a0 Add curry paste and whisk again.\u00a0 Bring mixture to a boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes.\u00a0 Stir in spinach and cook a few minutes more, until leaves begin to wilt.\u00a0 Add the fish sauce, tamari, lime juice, noodles, and cooked squash.\u00a0 Simmer just until all ingredients are warmed through.\u00a0 Serve in deep bowls with a sprinkle of cilantro.Inspired by pumpkin laksa recipe in \u201cTender,\u201d by Nigel Slater.<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve had a harsh introduction to winter in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where I live. Ferocious winds buffeted the redwoods surrounding my house for three days and nights last week, uprooting a huge tree just up the road, knocking down a utility pole and sending a long limb crashing through a skylight in the living … Continue reading Spicy soup soothes the soul<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5299"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5318,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5299\/revisions\/5318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}