The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern_ Knockout Dishes With Down-Home Flavor - Matt Lee [29]
2 Add the wine and cream and simmer, uncovered, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
3 Transfer the soup, in batches, to a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Pour the soup back into the stockpot and return it to serving temperature (if necessary) over low heat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and serve immediately in bowls, garnished with a sprinkle of chives. (Covered, the soup will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days.)
LETTUCE SOUP
serves 4 • TIME: 8 minutes
Those poor tender lettuces that farmers coddle and pamper and carefully deliver to market are often smothered to death on the plate by cheesy or bossy salad dressings. Every now and then we have to remind ourselves what lettuce really tastes like. This easy recipe distills and concentrates the leaves’ fresh, light essence into a soup. The slight tang of buttermilk complements and we think amplifies the green flavors beautifully without upstaging the delicate star of the show. On an early summer day, cool lettuce soup served with a side dish of smoked shrimp is a perfect lunch.
2 cups vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought, chilled
1 cup whole or lowfat buttermilk, chilled
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head green leaf lettuce (about 12 ounces), rinsed well and cut into fine shreds
8 ounces romaine lettuce hearts, rinsed well and cut into fine shreds
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pour the vegetable broth and buttermilk into a blender. Add the garlic, half the shredded lettuces, and the salt. Liquefy on the blender’s highest setting for 1 minute. Add the remaining lettuce and repeat. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. (Covered, the soup will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days.)
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH ROSEMARY
serves 4 to 6 • TIME: 30 minutes
In preparing the family Thanksgiving meal, one of us usually tackles the “Thanksgiving Baroque”—the heirloom American Bronze turkey, brined, rubbed with paprika butter, then stuffed with oysters and chestnuts (a three-day production)—while the other brother heads for the relative ease of the “Thanksgiving Zen,” or those simple dishes that express clear flavors with a minimum of effort and agita. Inevitably it’s the Zen dishes, the meditations on one or two ingredients, that get the wildest raves. The noble butternut, the most utilitarian (and fortunately the tastiest) supermarket squash, breaks down into a silky soup, which we highlight with wintery, medieval rosemary and cured ham. A little garlic and buttermilk serve to amp up the flavor of the butternut. It’s a rich enough dish to make a fine lunch, served with a thick wedge of buttered toasted bread and a glass of dry French Chardonnay (or any elegant white wine that’s not too fruity).
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
⅓ cup finely diced country ham or Serrano ham (about 1¼ ounces)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 large cloves)
One 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice (4 cups)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
¼ cup whole or lowfat buttermilk, plus more for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
1 Pour the olive oil into a 12-inch skillet set over medium-low heat. Once the oil warms, add the rosemary, ham, and garlic and stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant but not browning.
2 Turn the heat to low, add the squash, and stir for about 30 seconds to coat the pieces with the oil. Let cook for a minute longer, still stirring. Then add 3 cups water and cover the skillet. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat so that the liquid is simmering, stir in the salt, and cook, covered, for 7 minutes, until the squash is tender but not dissolving