While I’ve called this recipe Curried Pumpkin Soup, it is really a winter squash soup. Because this soup is not sweet just about any winter squash (acorn, butternut, kobacha, Hubbard) can be used instead of pumpkin.

Curried Pumpkin Soup (Serves 4 – 6)

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon dried, smoked chiles (chipotle, cobán, and/or ancho), chopped
5 cups pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Jamaican curry powder
3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Sauté the onion in butter in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (3 – 5 minutes). Add the minced garlic and grated ginger allow this to cook for 1 minute longer.

Add the dried, smoked chiles, pumpkin, and chicken broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until pumpkin is completely tender (30 minutes).

When the pumpkin is tender, add the Jamaican curry powder and heavy cream. Use a hand / stick blender to puree the soup until smooth, or transfer to a blender and blend in batches. Add salt, pepper, and additional curry powder to taste.

Turn heat down to low and allow the soup to slowly come back up to heat ( 3 – 5 minutes).

Variations & Additions

For a more Caribbean flavor, substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream. This will also sweeten the soup somewhat, so you may want to adjust the levels of chiles, salt, and pepper.

For a higher protein dish with a decidedly coastal flair, add some firm white fish (cod, haddock, pollack, or snapper) that has been sautéed, baked, or broiled to the soup after it has been puréed. Simply cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and fold them into the soup. Allow them to heat through and serve.

For a more ancient and Native American variation, add roasted corn to soup at service. Toss 2 – 3 cups of corn kernels (fresh or frozen) with olive oil and place them in a baking dish. Season with black pepper. Broil, stirring often, until the corn begins to brown. Keep an eye on them! They burn quickly and easily. Sprinkle or mound the roasted corn onto each bowl of soup just before serving it up.

This rich and creamy soup also pairs well with Fresh Corn Salad, especially in warmer months or areas.

Serve in deep bowls with a side of cornbread, fry bread, or Johnny cakes and enjoy the autumn or winter!

Jamaican Curry Powder (makes 3/4 cups)

Ingredients

1/4 cup whole coriander seeds
2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
2 tablespoons whole mustard seeds
2 tablespoons whole anise seeds
1 tablespoon whole fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
5 tablespoons ground turmeric

Directions

Reserve the tumeric. Combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, anise seeds, fenugreek seeds, and allspice berries in a pan. Toast them over medium heat, stirring or shaking them gently, until the spices slightly darken and become very fragrant. This takes approximately ten (10) minutes.

When the spices have been toasted, remove them from the skillet, and allow them to cool to room temperature. Grind the toasted spices with the turmeric in either a spice grinder or mortar & pestle. Store the ground spices away from direct light in an airtight container at room temperature. The mixture will keep for several months.

Jamaican curry powder is a great addition to many, many dishes. It can, among other things, be used in soups, salad dressings, or as dry rubs on meats.

At that point, no matter what you put it in or on, it’s all cut and curry. Mek wi nyam!.

Kefir is made from kefir grains, which are a active bacterial cultures, and milk.  Just about any type of milk can be used – cows milk (whole fat, reduced fat or skim). sheeps milk, goats milk, buffalo milk, or other. Just add the kefir grains to the milk and set it aside for a day or so to do its work.

Kefir (makes 2 cups)

Ingredients

1- 2 tablespoons milk Kifir grains.
2 cups fresh milk

Tools & Equipment

3 – 4 cup capacity clean glass jar with lid. The lid should not be completely airtight.
Strainer and spoon.
Wide mouthed jar or bowl

Directions

Sterilize the jar (including the lid!), strainer and Wide mouthed jar or bowl before use. A good cleaning followed by a hot (180º+) water. This is a necessary step in any fermentation process so as to avoid wild strains of bacteria from ruining your product.

Pour the cool milk into jar. Do not fill the jar more than 3/4 full, otherwise the milk may overflow at some point during the fermentation process.

Add the kefir grains.

Close the jar and gently shake the contents, then let stand at room temperature in a reasonably dark location for 24 – 48 hours. The longer the kefir is stored the thicker and sourer the resulting kefir will become.

When the desired level of fermentation and thickening has occurred – usually in 24 – 48 hours – Pour the contents of the jar into a strainer and strain the kefir into a suitable clean container to separate the kefir grains from the liquid kefir.

The resulting liquid kefir can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator for several days. Alternatively, you can pour the kefir into a sterilized airtight vessel and store it at room temperature for up to 24 hours in order to make the kefir richer (sourer) and increase its nutritional value.

The solids that you’ve strained off are kefir grains and can be stored or you can wash out the fermenting vessel and start your next batch of kefir right then.

Kefir is a rich and creamy drink, but it can be quite sour in flavor. Many people add honey or fruit juices and/or nectars to the kefir in order to make a variety of smoothies. Kefir is also a wonderful ingredient in other dishes as a milk or cream substitute.

I hope you enjoy – especially you, Christy!

Foole Meze (Serves 4 – 6)

Ingredients

3 cups frozen fava (broad) beans
1/2 cup kalamata olives
4-6 marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the fava beans in rapidly boiling water for 4 minutes, then rinse under cold water.
Remove the leathery outer skin from the fava beans and discard.
Mix together the shelled fava beans, olives, and artichoke hearts in a bowl.
Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and sea salt in a small bowl.
Place equal amounts of the fava bean mixture on serving plates, drizzle with the dressing, and top with the parsley and a little freshly ground black pepper.

I especially like this dish served with good feta cheese and a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the seasoned olive oil.

I hope you enjoy!

Fresh Corn Salad (Serves 4 – 6)

Ingredients

6 – 8 ears of sweet corn
4 – 6 mild to medium chilies (Anaheim, red, orange or yellow bells, banana peppers, etc…)
1 bunch of scallions
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 small basket of grape or cherry tomatoes
Fresh herbs to taste (sage, oregano, cilantro, dill, thyme, etc…)

Directions

Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cob
In a large bowl (glass, ceramic or stainless steel preferred) combine all the ingredients except the tomatoes.
Allow salad to sit for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
Adjust seasoning to taste
Serve sprinkled with the tomatoes

Variations & Additions

Add crumbled feta cheese and sliced roasted beets

Add grated sharp cheddar and diced Granny Smith green apples

Add 1/2 cup diced jicama and substitute diced tomatillo (husk tomato) for half the grape or cherry tomatoes

Substitute rice wine vinegar for cider vinegar. Add 1/2 cup grated daikon (Japanese giant white radish) and 2 tablespoons ponzu (Japanese citrus sauce)

Dice and drain the tomatoes and fold them into the salad. Use as relish or condiment for summer dishes.

This salad goes very well with seafood dishes – especially shrimp, octopus and scallops – and with cold meat salads such as chicken salad, ham salad or tuna salad. As a relish it adds a nice component to fish tacos, quesadillas and – believe it or not – hot dogs.

I hope you enjoy!