Butternut Squash Bisque

For the vegetarian cook, butternut squash is a staple winter ingredient, and a good butternut squash soup recipe is a must.  As the days have been getting shorter and the evenings getting cooler, here in Charlottesville we've been craving a comforting warm soup.  This is a great recipe to make on a Sunday afternoon and let simmer to develop the flavors and warm up your house (it also makes plenty to have for leftovers during the week).

In our minds the perfect butternut soup is rich and creamy but not heavy with cream and butter.  The sweetness of the squash is balanced by acid, in this case from apples and wine.  Once served the smoothness of the soup is contrasted by crunchy croutons.

We put a twist on the classic recipe by substituting almond milk for heavy cream, which added richness, but still keep it light.  We used granny smith apples and a dry white wine to provide a nice crispness while our garlic and balsamic croutons added the perfect crunch.

We will certainly be enjoying variations of this soup all winter long and hope you can enjoy it as well in one of the cold nights to come!

Spinach Tofu Burgers

This week was our turn to host the recipe for the food matters project.  We wanted to pick a recipe that was both accessible and versatile (not hard to find in Bittman's book).  But we also wanted a recipe that the other food matters project participants could customize in ways that reflect their favorite flavors and ingredients.  We thought that a veggie burger would be the perfect slate for us all to start with and embrace the food matters project ideals.

Typically, the veggie burgers we make are bean based (and delicious), so not including them in this recipe was a new concept to us.  We were also interested in the Asian flavors that went into this dish, as opposed to the usual earthy flavors in veggie burgers (chipotle, cumin, paprika, garlic, onion, etc.).  As the hosts this week, we followed Bittman's recipe exactly and loved the results.

These burgers were light, yet filling, with a crispy exterior (thanks to grilling them on a George Forman grill) and moist interior.  The Asian flavors are definitely unique, but proved to be refreshing and well balanced (particularly the crunch from the sesame seeds).

We topped our burgers with sliced tomato and our dill tofu mayo (from last weeks food matters project recipe) and placed it between two soft and grilled buns.

We hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we did and look forward to seeing everyones take on it!

Spinach Tofu Burgers
From The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
Makes: 4 servings       Time: 40 minutes

1 pound spinach (frozen is fine)
2 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves
1 block firm tofu (about 1 pound), patted dry
1/2 cup bread crumbs, preferably whole grain and homemade, or panko
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Salt and black pepper
2 tbs vegetable oil, or more as needed

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it; fill a large bowl with ice water.  Add the spinach to the pot, stir, and let cook for no more than a minute, then drain and plunge it into the ice water.  (If you're using frozen spinach, just let it thaw before proceeding.).  When the spinach is cold, drain it again, use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can, and chop it finely by hand or in a food processor.  Transfer the spinach to a large bowl.

Put the scallions and garlic in a food processor and pulse a few times until minced.  Transfer them to the bowl, then crumble half the tofu into the bowl with your hands.  Put the remaining tofu into the food processor and let it run until the tofu is smooth.  Add it to the bowl along with the bread crumbs, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a sprinkling of salt and lots of pepper.

Combine the mixture until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed, then form into 4 patties.  (You can prepare the patties up to a day ahead.  Cover them tightly and refrigerate; bring them to room temperature before proceeding.)

Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, slide the patties into the skillet with the spatula.  Alternatively, place burgers on preheated indoor grill or panini press that has been sprayed with oil.  Cook, undisturbed, until they are nicely browned and easy to move, about 5 minutes.  Carefully flip the patties and cook on second side for 3 to 4 minutes more.  Serve on buns or over rice.

Dill (Tofu) Mayo

Mayo is a pretty amazing ingredient.  We don't use it often, but when we do there is really no substitutions - sriracha mayo, "house" dressing (Charlottesvillians know what we are talking about), aioli, and burger dressings.  We love the creaminess and tang that mayo provides, but not necessarily the saturated fat and cholesterol that comes with it.  Thus, tofu mayo.

We were excited when we first saw this recipe on the food matters project schedule, but were slightly skeptical that tofu could replace eggs to provide the creaminess we were looking for.  But, as with most of Bittman's recipes, we trusted him, gave it a try, and were very happy with the results.

The recipe is simple and includes many of the ingredients you would add to a traditional aioli - lemon, Dijon mustard, and oil.  We also added a handful of dill which gave the final product a wonderfully fresh taste.  All of these ingredients, plus silken tofu and honey, were processed in a food processor until creamy and airy.  After a few minutes, voila - dill tofu mayo.

We served this mayo a top our veggie burgers (recipe coming next week) and with roasted sweet potatoes.  Don't stop there though, this mayo could also be tweaked to compliment anything from falafel to roasted and grilled vegetables.

We hope you find all sorts of uses for this mayo and let us know if you find any great ones!

Check out the original recipe at Biographie de ma Faim and see our version below.

Pesto Cheese-Nut Logs

Our CSA continues to provide us with abundant bunches of basil and we are always looking for new uses for it (we already have about a gallon of frozen pesto in the freezer).  This weeks food matters project recipe, cheese and nut balls, came at the perfect time to incorporate basil into another dish.

For these logs we used some mild Parmesan-like cheese and almonds.  We also tossed in some basil and garlic - essentially making pesto but with different ratios.  After adding a dash of salt and pepper we pulsed everything together in the food processor until it was broken down but not yet a paste.  Rather than making little balls, as per the original recipe, we placed our mixture in plastic wrap and then tightly rolled it into a log.  After a few hour rest in the fridge these logs were ready to be cut into rounds and served with a big salad and some crusty bread - the perfect weeknight meal!

Check out Cheese Please for Bittman's Cheddar Cheese and Almond Nut Balls and our "recipe" below.