For Body and Soul

On our farm stand we have these huge hubbard squashes and huge butternut squashes. Any kind of squash will do. My husband, the saintly FarmBoy, peels gigantic squash on his lap tray while watching sports on TV. It's a guaranteed way to get no complaints about him watching sports during prime time. So I find ways all year long to use those cubes of squash that we froze. We do it simply - just peel and seed and cube the squash - then rinse, put in ziplock bags and toss in the freezer. No blanching, no whining, no problem. Try it, or find a harder way to store squash.


Then, when making macaroni and cheese, for example, I boil some of the frozen cubes with the macaroni. By the time I have added the sauce to the boiled macaroni, those cubes are orange and dissolving making it look like we added extra cheddar to the noddles. I've added the cubes to beef stew, and other long simmered soups and sauces, and they just disappear, leaving behind some good fiber, beta carotene and other nutrients. And my conscience is clear, because I can't stand a spoonful of orange goop, no matter what you call it. But I'll eat it in pie, breads, and Cheddar Cheese Soup with Broccoli, or potatoes, or cauliflower. Try it, you need the vitamins this winter.

My kiddos can't eat cream due to their milk-intolerance issues. We even use cheese sparingly. Interestingly enough, extra sharp cheddar cheese is almost or reportedly lactose free. We can eat that easily.

I make this soup, like most things, with goat milk, substituting at the asterisks to make it seem like the original. I use  a  few spoonfuls out of a jar of chicken soup base usually, and just add it to the hot milk. It sneaks in extra calcium for the kiddos and makes the soup more creamy and probably a little less fatty than with the cream. Last time I made this I added in 1 cup of diced zucchini and yellow squash when I fried the onions in the bacon drippings.


Hard Rock Cafe Potato Soup - scaled to 4 servings
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup Diced yellow onions
1/3 cup Flour
3 cups Hot chicken stock (*3 cups of hot goat milk and enough soup base for 3 cups)
2 cups Diced -- peeled baked Potatoes or leftovers.
1 cup Heavy cream *(1 cup goat milk)
1/8 cup Chopped parsley (I substitute chopped celery leaves from the tops)
3/4 teaspoon Granulated garlic
3/4 teaspoon Dried basil
3/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Red pepper sauce
3/4 teaspoon Coarse black pepper
1/2 cup Grated Cheddar cheese
1/8 cup Diced green onions -- white Part only

Additional chopped bacon --
Grated cheese and Chopped parsley for Garnish

Directions:
Fry bacon until crisp. Chop bacon and reserve drippings. Cook onions and celery tops in remaining drippings over medium-high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps. Cook 3 - 5 minutes until mix just begins to run golden. Add chicken stock gradually, whisking to prevent lumps, until liquid thickens. Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper sauce and black pepper. Simmer 10 minutes; DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL. Add grated cheese and green onions.
Heat until cheese melts smoothly. Garnish each serving as desired with chopped bacon, grated cheese.

It's a good recipe. It's also a good place to hide cubes of raw butternut squash. Just sautee in with the onions, and as the soup simmers the squash nearly dissolves and makes it a nice cheddar cheese color. I'm a veggie pusher I tell ya.  It's for sale on the farmstand - $1.00 each. Come on over.

What's a Mattar Paneer?

It sounds like a joke, What's a matter Paneer? Economy got you down? This cozy, gently spiced vegetarian recipe of Indian continent origin will warm you from the inside out, and help you forget the end of a dreary winter and your declining house value. Mr. Green's Social Studies class is studying India, and this recipe is posted for them. Hello!! Mr. Green's six grade class.

Are your feet cold? My feet are cold today. I've just entered myself in a Blogger giveaway of a beautiful pair of hand knit socks. Socks like this are just too beautiful to be covered in shoes! Take a look at http://yestheyareallmine-mom.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-200th-post_12.html
and see those cute socks! Tell her KelliSue sent you. It will warm your feet this winter.

Speaking of winter, I'm planting spinach seeds today, maybe tomorrow. Then peas. They do well in the cooler weather we're having here in Upstate New York. It's no coincidence that yesterday's recipe is spinach and today's is peas.

I have a good six inches of mulch sitting on the garden just waiting for me to mess about with it. Thanks FarmBoy for removing the hay from the bottom of the goat's pen where it has made nice deep piles to keep them warm all winter. The goats are perking up just like the little tips of the daffodil bulbs I saw emerging yesterday. Spring can't be far away! And after spring, comes chocolate brownies from my favorite recipe. No really it does. See tomorrow's blog post. It's chocolate!

Mattar Paneer
serves 4 -6
2 cups paneer cheese, cubed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
**********
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced ginger or about 1/2 inch of ginger - no need to peel
1 tablespoon garlic, pureed or several cloves, depending on size
2 teaspoons whole coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
3 Tablespoons of oil or melted butter
**********
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other chile pepper *omit if you wish
1 cup diced raw or canned tomato, measure after you have pressed to remove juice
1/2 cup tomato juice you pressed, above
1 1/2 cups or 1 pound pkg. of frozen sweet peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaf, or cilantro

Heat 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet and saute' the paneer in batches (add more oil if necessary), until lightly browned, and drain on paper toweling. Alternately, you may broil it until speckled on a sprayed pan, turning once. This firms the paneer and adds carmelization, and depth of flavor.
In blender container, add onion, ginger, whole coriander seed, cumin seed, and oil. Pulse until smooth. Heat a large frying pan on medium high until a drop of water dances across. Add the fragrant onion, spice mixture from the blender. Cook for 5 minutes until it begins to take on a little color, stirring often. Add the rest of the spices, and the salt. You should begin to see the oil separate from the vegetable spice puree. Do not let the onions brown. Add the tomatoes and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice to allow some carmelization.
Add the tomato juice, and and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the thawed peas and paneer and gently warm them through.
Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving. This is a terrific side dish when served with dal (lentil stew), or chicken, and warmed naan (Indian bread) or tortillas or whole wheat flat bread. Of course a bottle of home canned peaches is lovely alongside. Some mattar paneer recipes have cream added, at the end, but we prefer the vegetable taste shining through.

Variations include adding cubes of boiled potatoes or cauliflower for a low carb version.