On Sunday I went to the
weekly farmer's market down the street from my apartment and stocked up on a number of fresh vegetables. Red peppers, jalapeno peppers, summer squash, zucchini, pattypan squash, onions, tomatoes, corn and kale were all part of my weekend bounty.
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I love this place. |
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Juicy, bright cherry tomatoes. |
I went with my friend Leigh and met up with her boyfriend, Bryan. After stocking up on veggies and delicious samples of local meats, fresh bread, strawberries and roasted almonts, we went back to her house andhung out for a bit. Bryan had to go to work, so Leigh and I decided that we should go to the movies...they had originally planned on going to see
Captain America, but it got to be too late for Bryan. We couldn't agree on a movie for just us to see (I wanted to see
Friends With Benefits, she wanted to see
The Tree of Life) and were going to just go our separate ways when we randomly decided to play tennis. So I went home and changed and met her at some tennis courts in between our houses. It was a fun-filled half hour of attempting to hit a tennis ball back and forth. Let's just say that we both need a little practice. I haven't played tennis since I was probably fourteen when I would take lessons with Tammy, the ridiculously fit and perky instructor at the local tennis club. As soon as I outgrew my racket and needed a bigger one, I happened to outgrow tennis. Funny how those things happen. We took a break from our game (if you could even call it that) for a minute when two little kids swooped up our court. I think it was a sign, although I can't say they were better than we were at hitting the ball.
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This little punk's racket was almost as big as he was. |
While attempting to rally for more than a few hits, I kept thinking about what to do with my new produce. My initial thought when buying the corn was that I would use it for fresh corn chowder. But then I thought of a soup with roasted red peppers, corn and summer squash. So, I embarked on a culinary adventure to make some delicious soup. I wanted something along the lines of corn chowder that wasn't so heavy and dairy-ridden that brought in flavors from the corn and peppers. With some last minute additions, it turned out to be awesome. Hearty yet light on your stomach with lots of fresh flavors with great texture (smooth but with some chunks left in). I really liked this soup a lot and was happy to eat it for lunch the next two days and share some with one of my roommates. I hope you enjoy it, too! There are a lot of variations you could, including sweet potatoes instead of squash, extra jalapenos (or roasted jalapenos) for added heat, a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle of cheese or green onions on top.
So here it is,
Roasted Red Pepper, Corn and Summer Squash Soup
Makes 4-6 servings
Time: about a half hour
1 tablespoon butter
2 small onions, diced
3 small summer squash, roughly chopped
20 oz of chicken stock (about 2/3 of a box)
3 ears of corn
3 medium red bell peppers, roasted and de-stemmed/de-seeded **
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 large carrot, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
milk
Dice carrots and saute in a large pot (I used my
amazing 8-quart Le Creuset cast iron pot) for a few minutes on medium heat until the onions are soft. Stir in squash and let cook for a minute or two. Pour in chicken stock and let come to a boil. Add corn, red peppers, carrot and jalapeno and let boil until the corn is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat off and use an immersion blender to partially puree soup. I left a few chunks in there for texture but think that the soup would be equally as good completely smooth. Ladle into bowls and add a splash of milk (or cream! but I wanted to be healthy this time) and enjoy!
** I roasted my peppers by putting them whole under the broiler for about 4 minutes on each side until they are charred, then wrapped them up in a tin foil pouch until the skins softened and I could easily peel them off, about 10 minutes. I cut the stem out and sliced the peppers open to get out the seeds. Make sure you don't rinse the peppers after you have skinned and de-seeded them or they will lose some of their smoky flavor.