Stuffed Zucchini with Butternut Squash Soup

Submitted by Iris of Ether

My entry into round 3 of the Iron Chef competition is stuffed zucchini with a side of butternut squash soup. The flavors compliment each other nicely and they're very easy to make together, even for somebody without much cooking experience.

I'm going to post the instructions for the two recipes separately for people more interested in making a single dish instead of a full meal, but in reality you can sneak in most of the work for the zucchini during the time that the butternut squash chunks are steaming. Additionally, once you get to the last step of the soup, you can just leave it warming until you finish the zucchini, so they combine very well both in flavor and in preparation.

Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe makes a decent amount of creamy, squash-flavored soup. You might be tempted to skip making the croutons, but don't: they're easy to make, and their sweet flavor helps to add something to the mellow taste of the soup itself.

Ingredient list:

For soup:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium shallots
• 3 pounds butternut squash (about 1 large)
• Salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

For croutons:

• 2 slices white sandwich bread
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method:

• Slice your butternut squash in 1/2 lengthwise.

• Scoop out the seeds and stringy part. SAVE these in a bowl, as you'll be using them later to add flavor to the soup. Once deseeded, cut each half into quarters (for a total of 8 pieces).

• Chop your shallots. Set them aside.

• Find a big pot. We're using an excessively large and unattactive cast iron kettle, but one that nonetheless works. Melt your butter in it until it foams.

• Once your butter is foaming, toss in the minced shallots. Cook them until they turn translucent, about 3 min.

• Toss in the seed goop, cooking until the mixture turns a nice golden yellow, or about 4 minutes.

• Add 6 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Once there, reduce the heat to medium low to get it to steam. Add your steamer tray to the bottom to the pot, putting the squash chunks face-down onto it.

• Steam for 30 minutes with the lid on. This is a good time to start making your zucchini. If everything times out right you can have it coming out of the oven just in time to bake the croutons and the croutons will be coming out just as the zucchini is going back in.

• Once the steaming finishes, turn off the heat to the pot and carefully remove the squash chunks. Let them cool on a pan.

• While you're waiting for the squash to cool, make yourself some croutons. Start by cutting up your bread into appropriate-sized bits.

• Toss your bread bits with the melted butter, sugar, & cinnamon. Spread them out on a parchment-lined sheet and bake them for 8-10 minutes. Remove them and let them cool. Resist the urge to snack on them, even though they taste like little cinnamon toast bites.

• After the mixture in the pot has cooled, strain the liquid in a container. The solid portion can be thrown out. Wipe your pot out to get rid of any extra solid residue.

• Scoop the squash flesh off of its skin, putting it in a bowl.

• In a blender, pulse together the liquid and flesh portions. This really needs to be done in batches - I did it in 3 with my standard-sized blender. Just keep pulsing it until it's smooth and liquidy. Overall, your batches should be about the consistency of, well, cream soup. As you finish blending the batches, just keep pouring them back into your pot.

• When the entire mixture has been blended together, mix in the cream & brown sugar. Heat until warm and serve.

Stuffed Zucchini

• I'm usually not a big fan of vegetarian dishes, but these zucchini are the exception to that rule. They not only taste good, but they're very filling in a way that most vegetable-only dishes aren't. They make good leftovers, too.

Ingredients list:

• 4 medium zucchini (about 2 lbs worth)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium Red Bliss potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion
• 5 large garlic cloves
• 3 medium tomatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• fresh basil leaves
• 1.5 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Method

• Set your oven temperature to 400 deg F. Put two baking sheets in: one on the bottom position & one second to the top.

• Halve your zucchinis, scooping out the seeds & most of the flesh. Leave about 1/4" thick walls on them.

• Deseed & chop your tomatoes. It's easiest to do this if you first cut the tomato in half across its width (as opposed to from stem to bottom). That way, you can scoop the tomato goop out of the chambers easily. I did not do this, so I had to vaguely mangle them to get the job done.

• Chop your potatoes into 1/2" cubes, then toss them with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.

• While you're at it, chop about 1/3 cup worth of basil and mince your garlic. You can also just use a garlic press if you're feeling lazy (and I was).

• Once the oven has heated, brush oil onto the cut side of the zucchini. Sprinkle salt & pepper onto them in whatever amount you think tastes best.

• Put the zucchini shells cut-side-down onto the sheet on the lower rack and bake them along with the potatoes (about 10 minutes).

• Take the baking sheet off the upper oven rack and spread the potatoes evenly on it in a single layer. Bake them for 10-12 minutes, leaving the oven on for later (if making both recipes at once, turn the temperature down to prepare for the croutons).

• Add 1 tbsp oil to a large skillet and heat it on medium for 2 minutes. After it's heated, add your onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don't burn.

• Add your minced garlic to the onions, letting it cook for 30 seconds. Next, add the potatoes & tomatoes to the mix. Stir frequently until the mix is warmed throughout, about 3 minutes.

• Take the mix off heat, adding the basil, 1/2 cup of cheese, salt, & pepper to the mix. Add about 1/2 cup of the mix to each zucchini, then sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake the stuffed zucchinis on the upper rack for about 6 minutes, or until the cheese starts to get spotty brown.

• Remove from oven & serve.

Enjoy your squashy meal.