Bay Area Foodie » Starters & Soups

Delicata Squash Soup

bayareafoodie — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:50:35 +0000

I’d never seen or tasted a delicata squash until it arrived in our CSA delivery. After some research I found out that it is sweet and most commonly prepared by simply roasting it in the oven, but I decided to take it a step further and make it into a soup.

You know it's a delicata squash by the cool green stripes

When they said it was sweet I expected flavors similar to a butternut squash but it was much more subtle. This tasted like a potato soup with a touch of sweetness. I’ve made many squash soups and sometimes they turn out bland but this, although mild, I found uniquely delicious.

Recipe link
Food & Wine magazine / Feb 1999

For more winter squash recipes check out other bloggers participating in the Food Network’s Fall Fest (a season long franchise where Food Network editors team up with blogs to share tips and recipes about seasonal produce every week)…

And Love It Too: Warm Winter Chili
The Sensitive Epicure: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Cooking Channel: Kabocha Squash Pasta
CIA Dropout: Stuffed Winter Squash
What’s Gaby Cooking: Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
Dishin and Dishes: Butternut Squash Bisque With Sage Cream
FN Dish: Simply Roasted Winter Squash
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pomme d’or With Wild Mushroom Risotto

Baked Beet Ravioli with Poppy Seed Butter

bayareafoodie — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 03:00:25 +0000

Our CSA delivery was overflowing with beets in November. Since I was tired of making beet salads I started looking for a unique way to use them when this ravioli recipe grabbed my attention.

If you are not a fan of beets this is not going to convert you. You have to like the flavor because it is prominent. If you enjoy beets like I do you will find these truly satisfying. The only change I would make to the recipe next time is maybe use a more pungent cheese like blue. Other reviewers said they had tried that and I can see that really kicking up the flavor.

I made a few modifications to the Bon Appétit recipe.
1. I’m lazy so I chose to use wonton wrappers instead of fresh pasta (they suggested this option to save time)
2. Instead of boiling the ravioli’s I followed the directions on the wonton package to bake them. Preheat oven to 375. Mist a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place filled ravioli onto prepared baking sheet and brush tops of ravioli lightly with olive oil then bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Then I spooned over the poppy seed butter (which I added sage to).

This baked version would be better served as an Appetizer – cut in triangles with the butter on the side for dipping.

Recipe link
Bon Appétit | May 2005

For more tasty beet recipes check out other bloggers participating in the Food Network’s Fall Fest (a season long franchise where Food Network editors team up with blogs to share tips and recipes about seasonal produce every week)…

What’s Gaby Cooking: Farro Beet and Herb Salad
My Angel’s Allergies: Roasted Beet and Potato Vinaigrette Salad
Cooking Channel: Garlicky Beet Salad With Walnuts and Dates
The Sensitive Epicure: Simply Sauteed Beets
FN Dish: Top 3 Beet Salad Recipes
And Love It Too: Raw, Vegan and Sugar-Free Red Velvet Fudge
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Beet Salad With Crispy Leeks and Bacon
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Beet Salad With Bacon Vinaigrette

Potato, Leek and Broccoli Soup with Pancetta Crumbs

bayareafoodie — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:12:21 +0000

It’s all about the bacon crumbs (we didn’t have pancetta)! Really nice creamy soup with a crunchy, salty, herby crumble on top.

Recipe link
Food & Wine Magazine| Nov 2010

Tomato and Pepper Gazpacho with Sherry

bayareafoodie — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:00:21 +0000

Our CSA produce delivery gave us 4-5 lbs of tomatoes in a single week (3 varietals). That’s a lot of tomats! There was also a couple cucumbers so making a gazpacho was a no-brainer. This José Andrés recipe was delightful.

Recipe link
Bon Appetit /September 2010

Roasted Pepper Bruschetta

bayareafoodie — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:55:26 +0000

Best Bruschetta EVER! We made two changes to the recipe –

1) added garlic to the tomato mixture (a must!)

2) we used mozzarella & parm because that’s what we had in the fridge.

The peppers are hard to see but they are underneath the cheese & tomatoes

This was even better than many of the tapas we had in Spain and a great way to use up the end of summer heirlooms.

Recipe link
Bon Appétit | September 2002

Shrimp-and-Corn Chowder

bayareafoodie — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:44:08 +0000

The corn is the star of this dish! If you don’t have fresh, sweet corn on the cob don’t bother making this recipe. Unlike most chowders this is light and healthy…don’t let the name fool you. A grand summer supper.

Tip: I made this on the stove top but still grilled the shrimp on the BBQ.

Recipe link
Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine /Aug. 2010

Scallops with Mushrooms in White-Wine Sauce

bayareafoodie — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:07:11 +0000

This was killer…literally. I could hear my heart cry as I devoured every morsel. Mike and I are trying to get back in shape by doing the P90X workout. This is not on the diet but this is what Mike decided to prepare for dinner the other night. He obviously didn’t read the ingredients before going to the store. Heavy cream, butter, cheese, egg yolk, and more butter! It was sinfully delicious though. The sauce was the one of the best I’ve ever tasted. It would be a perfect starter course. Really don’t attempt to eat this as a main dish as we did.

I just decided Mike was preparing us for our trip to Paris. We leave in 1 week!!!

Recipe link
Gourmet | January 2003

Roasted Beet, Onion and Orange Salad

bayareafoodie — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:45:45 +0000

My new favorite thing is roasted pearl onions. Soooo good! I can’t believe this is the first time we made them?!

Recipe link

Italian Wedding Soup

bayareafoodie — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:52:22 +0000

The contessa really put her foot in this soup.

This really should be called super yummy meatball soup. I didn’t think I would enjoy a chicken meatball so much but without them this soup would be boring. I plan on making these meatballs to add to my next bowl of spaghetti.

Tip: Don’t be afraid of the dill. It really adds to the dish.

Recipe link

Bacon and Cabbage Soup

bayareafoodie — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:28:27 +0000

If Willy Wonka made a soup it would look like this. I made some modifications to the original recipe and created something very unique. Instead of Savoy cabbage I used Red and instead of yukon gold potatoes I used Red which is weird because the soup turned out purple. People who know me will think I did this on purpose because purple is my favorite color but I really had no clue that this would be the outcome of my tinkering with the ingredients.

The end result was far from “grape” tasting. It actually just tasted like potatoes. If I closed my eyes it was a little easier to eat.

I garnished with homemade croutons, parsley and additional bacon.

Recipe link