simplifying the simple: cold minted summer squash soup

Ragazzi, Annalena has already provided you with a recipe for a wonderful cold squash soup.  It is the entry for July 14, 2008, if you wish to make a comparison.  It is a richer, more complex soup, but not very complex.

This one is even simpler. And it is born out of the situation that anyone who belongs to a CSA will have experienced:  How am I going to use the..."  and with summer squash (mistakenly called zucchini sometimes), as the summer progresses and the "gift that keeps on giving" that is summer squash prevails, one needs as many ways to use this, as possible.

Annalena's CSA last week allowed her "2lb summer squash"  Well, ragazzi, 2 lb of summer squash, is a lot more squash than you might imagine.  Annalena piled four fairly hefty specimens into her bag to get her two pounds. And then was left with "what am I going to do with them, since we have veggies for the week?"

Enter soup.  Seriously, bambini, pureed soups are a godsend, when you have stuff in the fridge that you don't know what you're going to do with.  A little thinking, a little flavor matching, and you have something tasty, light, and rather filling.  And as it is high summer, what could be better than a light meal of a tasty soup?  Indeed, the Guyman and Annalena ate it after the ballet.  Perfect for late night. Easy to go down, easy to digest, and rather easy on the calories.

So, what are we waiting for?  Let's get to work.  First, let's talk about summer squash.  There are about a zillion different varieties of them, in various shades of green and yellow.  You know the solid green one.  THAT, ragazzi, is zucchino, and more than one is zucchini.  Others have different names, and you may wish to get to know them because, while they all seem to have about the same flavor, their textures differ.  Annalena is a very big fan of zephyr:

http://www.harvesttotable.com/2008/09/zephyr_squash/ 


What you need to keep in mind, perhaps, is what the soup is going to look like.  The resulting soup is going to be a paler version of the squash with which you begin.  If you don't mind a pale green soup, then by all means, use plain old zucchini.  Go the other way for a yellow soup.  An even mix does not seem to work well: the colors muddle, although ONE green squash in a mass of yellow is nice.  

The size of the squashes is essentially irrelevant here, although smaller squashes will have less water.  You need 2-2.5 pounds for this recipe. Cut it up into chunks, and lose the blossom and stem end.  Put them aside.


Now, get two small carrots, a small onion, and two small  ribs of celery  (Leaves are ok, and you can use one large carrot, and one large rib of celery, or combinations thereof).  Chop them very fine.  Annalena used her food processor.    Get these into a pot with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and a hefty teaspoon or so of salt.    Cook for a while, in a heavy pot, at medium heat.  Not more than five minutes. Now add your squash chunks, and turn them in the oil  Don't brown them. Just coat them.

You now add a quart of stock. Annalena used chicken, but you could use vegetable stock.  She fears that plain water doesn't work here.  Bring this to a slow simmer and cook, uncovered, for about twenty minutes.

After about five minutes of cooking, add a few sprigs of a mint.  Annalena had a bunch of mint from her CSA, with very furry leaves. It was clearly not peppermint, or spearmint, and certainly not wintergreen.    Cook this with the squash (if you prefer anothre, light tasting herb, use that).    At twenty minutes, the squash will be very, very tender.

You can let this cool, and then when you puree it, you need not be careful,  or you can puree it now, and do it in small batches, and proceed with great care, as is what Annalena did.  If you are experienced with pureeing hot liquids, you will know what to do.  If not, then wait until it cools.

You COULD strain this soup, but you'd lose the best part, and you would have something very pale and unsatisfying.  The soup, as pureed here, has an almost buttery, creamy taste.  Chill it, and just before you serve it, add a few sprigs of the herb you used in the cooking. Perhaps some croutons, perhaps not.

You will get about six cups of soup from this recipe.  Enough for small portions for 4-6, or large meal portions for two.  And look at what you used: two tablespoons of oil, lots of vegetables, and chicken stock.    Even Emily will be happy with this recipe.

You won't sweat too much making this either.  So, ragazzi, head to the kitchen, get it done, and remember who takes care of you.   ANNALENA