Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [85]
1 garlic clove, quartered
1 cardamom pod
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground mace
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Two medium 1½-pound acorn squashes
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned and cut into quarters
3 cups vegetable broth
12/3 cups canned regular coconut milk or light coconut milk
¼ cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch strips
5 scallions, cut into ½-inch pieces
12 basil leaves
Place the shallot, lemongrass, garlic, cardamom, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, mace, turmeric, and cayenne in a mini food processor; process until pastelike and fairly smooth. Alternatively, thinly slice the shallot, mince the lemongrass, and crush the garlic; place these and the remaining spices in a mortar and grind them with the pestle until pastelike.
Cut the two squashes in half, scoop out the seeds, then lay the halves cut side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to peel off the skin in long arcs, following the natural curve of the squash. Any small bits remaining can then be shaved off. Chop the flesh into ½-inch pieces and set aside.
Heat a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Swirl in the peanut oil, then stir in the prepared spice mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms and cook until they give off their liquid and it’s bubbling, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Bring the soup to a simmer, then stir in the squash and bell peppers. Cover, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until the squash is fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the scallions and basil, cover, and set aside off the heat for 5 minutes.
Variations: For a quicker dish, substitute 1 tablespoon yellow Thai curry paste for all the aromatics in the ingredients list (from the shallots to the cayenne). Add the curry paste in step 3.
For a hotter dish, add 2 or 3 small hot Thai red chiles (often called “Thai hots”), sliced into thin rings, to the soup with the spice paste.
For a more authentic taste, add 1 teaspoon fermented shrimp paste with the spices.
Use only 1 squash; add 1 pound yellow-or red-fleshed fingerling potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces, with the squash.
Use only 1 squash; stir 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, into the soup during the last 5 minutes of cooking, before you add the scallions and basil.
Three-Mushroom Soup with Lemongrass
The bright, aromatic taste of lemongrass is a perfect match with mushrooms, given here in heaping quantities. If enoki are not available, you can do without them. If you can’t find both the other two mushrooms, forgo the shiitake and use 1 pound cremini or white mushrooms in the soup. Makes 6 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps cleaned and thinly sliced
½ cup dry sherry or dry vermouth
1 lemongrass stalk, cut into 2-inch sections, each bruised with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy pot
6 cups (1½ quarts) vegetable broth
1 small bunch enoki mushrooms, cleaned and separated
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Swirl in the olive oil, then add the onions and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 minutes.
Add the cremini and shiitake; cook, stirring often, until they brown slightly and begin to give off their liquid, about 3 minutes.
Add the sherry or vermouth and the lemongrass. Raise the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid in the pan has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Pour in the broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer slowly until the mushrooms are quite tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the enoki,