We have all been anticipating the arrival of Paula’s new book, The Food of Morocco. When it arrived, I thumbed through the 500+ pages over a course of a few days. The photographs are stunning and the recipes, oh the recipes! I chose the Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup as my first creation. She described it as a soup “to keep both body and soul warm.”  It was the most incredible squash soup I have ever tasted in my entire life. I found myself licking the spatula like it was cake batter. I was able to make use of my beautiful butternut squash from Loon organics.

1 yellow onion coarsely chopped
Coarse salt
1 1/2 T EVOO
2 pounds butternut, kabocha, or kalabaza squash, halved, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2″ chunks (about 6 cups)
2 T tomato paste
1 t La Kama
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound crumbled or shredded goat cheese
1 t harissa (I used sriracha)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss the onion with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and the oil in your cazuela, cover and steam over medium-low heat until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the squash, cover with a sheet of parchment paper and a lid, and steam for 20 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, spices and 4 cups hot water and bring to a boil, then cook at a simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer soup in batches to a blender, and puree until smooth; add the cream, 3/4 of the cheese, and the harissa to the last batch of soup and puree until velvety.

Return soup to cazuela and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into warm bowls and top each portion with a light sprinkling of remaining cheese. (serves 4)

Immediately after taking my first bite, I wished I had doubled the batch! Paula suggests thinning it with hot water and adjusting seasoning, if it gets too thick. I thought it reheated perfectly. I served it with homemade bread, and I think I’ll make it again next week with kobacha. We are featuring this amazing cookbook right now. If you purchase the book, we include a $10 off coupon for any piece in the gallery! It is not only an amazing cookbook, but it also makes for a lovely coffee table book. The images and stories have bumped Morocco to the top 5 on my travel bucket list. (sorry Japan) Go to Facebook, and join the Moroccan cooking group for more recipes and information.

This one was tried by Ann (in the Gallery) and she kindly brought a small portion for the rest of us!  Like all of Paula’s recipes, this is delicious!

Yield:
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds pumpkin or butternut squash
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ounces sliced prosciutto or lean pancetta, shredded
1/4 cup minced shallot
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 cup diced, crustless dense country bread, toasted in a dry skillet until golden
Method:
Pare the pumpkin, cut it into large chunks, and discard the seeds and fibrous centers. Cut enough of the flesh into 1-inch dice to make 5 cups or 1 1/2 pounds cleaned pumpkin or squash. Place the pumpkin cubes and sugar in the eaternware casserole and warm over low heat. Gradually raise the heat to medium-low, cover with a sheet of parchment paper and the lid, and steam for 10 minutes.

Add the prosciutto and shallot and cook, covered, for 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add 3 cups hot water to the casserole, bring to a boil, and cook at a simmer until everything is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and puree until smooth.

Add the cream, the butter, and the cheese to the last batch of soup in the blender and puree until velvety.

Reheat the soup and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top each portion with the toasted croutons.

This one was tried by Ann (in the Gallery) and she kindly brought a small

portion for the rest of us!  Like all of Paula’s recipes, this is delicious!

Yield:
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds pumpkin or butternut squash
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ounces sliced prosciutto or lean pancetta, shredded
1/4 cup minced shallot
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 cup diced, crustless dense country bread, toasted in a dry skillet until golden
Method:
Pare the pumpkin, cut it into large chunks, and discard the seeds and fibrous centers. Cut enough of the flesh into 1-inch dice to make 5 cups or 1 1/2 pounds cleaned pumpkin or squash. Place the pumpkin cubes and sugar in the eaternware casserole and warm over low heat. Gradually raise the heat to medium-low, cover with a sheet of parchment paper and the lid, and steam for 10 minutes.

Add the prosciutto and shallot and cook, covered, for 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add 3 cups hot water to the casserole, bring to a boil, and cook at a simmer until everything is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and puree until smooth.

Add the cream, the butter, and the cheese to the last batch of soup in the blender and puree until velvety.

Reheat the soup and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top each portion with the toasted croutons.

This is a recipe for a lentil soup I found in Clifford A. Wright’s cookbook, The Best Soups in the World. This is a popular Turkish soup, often made during the cold Mediterranean winter months. I thought with the recent snowfall, now would be a perfect time to try this recipe.  He explains how this soup is known as the bride’s soup, ezo gelin corbasi,  because it is made for the soon-to-be-married young maiden.

“Originally from southeast Anatolia, the origin of this soup is attributed to an exceptionally beautiful woman named Ezo, who lived in the village of Dokuzyol near Gaziantep in the early 20th c. Legend has it that Ezo, with her rosy cheeks and black hair, was admired by travelers along the caravan route who stopped to rest in her village. Many men longed for her hand in marriage and Ezo’s family hoped to secure a worthy match for their daughter. Unfortunately, Ezo the bride (gelin), didn’t have much luck when it came to finding marital bliss. Her first husband was in love with another woman and she divorced him on grounds of maltreatment. Her second marriage took her to Syria where she became homesick for her village and had to deal with a difficult mother-in-law who couldn’t be pleased. It is for her, the story goes, that Ezo created this soup. After bearing 9 children, poor Ezo died of tuberculosis in the 1950s and has since become a Turkish legend, depicted in popular films and lamented in folksongs. Her name lives on in this popular soup, which is now traditionally fed to brides to sustain them for the uncertain future that lies ahead.” 04/2006 Dilek Barlow

I found all of the ingredients for this recipe locally. I picked up the red lentils at Dan and Becky’s Market in Cokato. If you haven’t been there, I would recommend you make the short trip. They carry a wide variety of “pantry” foods and fresh produce at their 10 acre farm. I had trouble finding dried mint locally, so I substituted fresh mint.

Red Lentils from Dan and Becky's market in Cokato

Lentil and Mint Soup

1 cup red lentils (rinsed)

2 quarts vegetable broth (substitute veal or chicken)

1 medium-large onion, grated

1/2 cup medium or coarse bulgur (#3 or#4), rinsed

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 T tomato paste diluted in 1/4 cup water

Salt to taste

1 t hot or sweet paprika

1 T dried mint

Cazuela boiling soup...

In our Clay Coyote Cazuela, add the lentils, broth, onion, bulgur, butter, tomato paste, and salt. Bring to a very gentle boil over high heat, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to very low and cook until the lentils and bulgur are tender and the soup has a creamy consistency, about 1 hour. Stir in paprika and mint, cook 5 more minutes, and serve in a Clay Coyote stoneware soup bowl. I garnished my soup with fresh mint leaves.

Red Lentil and Bulgur Soup with Mint

The Clay Coyote Flameware cazuela is my favorite piece of pottery right now. I try to  use mine for everything. I think it is one of our most versatile pieces. I created this hearty soup entirely in my cazuela. I admit, this soup recipe is inspired by Zuppa Tuscana. I added a few more ingredients, and cut out the use of multiple pots.

My flameware saucepan from stove top to table...

I also wanted to show how multifunctional  our Flameware saucepan is. I put two servings of this soup in my saucepan to reheat the soup. I then put the saucepan directly on my table for serving. It looks beautiful, and the ceramic saucepan kept the soup warm until it was time to eat.

Sausage Potato Soup with Kale

1 pound Italian sausage

5 pieces bacon

2 large potatoes

1 large onion

2 cups fresh mushroom

1 chopped red pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups kale (or any other leafy green)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 quarts chicken broth

red pepper flakes, salt, pepper (optional)

First brown the sausage in your cazuela over medium heat. Drain the sausage, and transfer to another dish. Next cook the bacon, onion, and garlic in cazuela until bacon is firm and onions are golden. Drain excess fat. Add chicken broth,  potato, mushrooms, and red pepper. Bring ingredients to a soft boil, for about 5 minutes.

Cazuela boiling ingredients on high heat...

I love the temperature changes the cazuela can handle. It is great for browning meats, sauteing onions, simmering soups, and boiling potatoes. I also love that it can go in the oven. Our flameware is easy to clean. You can put it in the dishwasher, but I recommend washing it by hand. Once it cools, scrub it out with warm water. Occasionally, I have a few hard to remove spots. I add a little homemade vinegar made from our Vinegar Crock, and voila!

Reduce heat to medium, and cook until potatoes are soft. This should take around 30 minutes. Next you add the sausage and cream. Cook this until everything is heated through. The last step is to add the kale. I like to store the kale and soup separately. I think it tastes better when it is added just before serving.

This recipe makes a large batch of soup, but it freezes wonderfully.