Week 1: Creamy Cajun Zucchini & Potato Soup

During fall and winter I make a big pot of soup almost every Sunday. A warm hearty soup goes a long way on a cold winter’s night, especially when you find yourself short on time. Preparing it in advance means you always have at least one meal ready to roll after a hard day’s work. And since I already spend a lot of time in the kitchen on Sunday preparing the family meal, it’s not an inconvenience. And the bonus is that the when the kids come for Sunday dinner, they can take away their own Mason jar of soup to have during the week.

This week’s new recipe has an unknown origin, but various versions can be found on the web. I modified it a bit to suit my tastes and what I had on hand, adjusting several ingredients, including the herbs. I much prefer to use fresh herbs, and I think they lend a better flavor to dishes than dried. Because I have a year-round herb bed, this is an easy substitution, but I have listed the comparable dry ingredients to use as well.

This is a very easy recipe to prepare and can be completed in about 45-50 minutes from start to finish. It is a vegetarian dish but could be made for vegan diets as well, substituting almond or soy milk for the heavy cream. Because these two ingredients are thinner liquids, I would add an extra potato or two in the beginning to achieve the thicker consistency of this soup.

This is not really a spicy soup, and can be served to kids. Should you want to amp it up, you could add or serve the soup with some good old Cajun hot sauce.

Creamy Cajun Zucchini & Potato Soup

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed

2 medium zucchini, sliced

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons fresh minced basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning salt (plain salt will also work)

1 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in a large stock pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and zucchini and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add broth, herbs and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Puree soup with an immersion blender. Add cream and salt to taste and heat thoroughly. (Do not boil.)

Servings: 6

Summer's Bounty: Zucchini Fritters

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It’s that time of year where our zucchini plants are most prolific and I try to find innovative ways to prepare our bounty of squash. I make noodles out of them with my mandoline and serve with a warm pasta sauce or cold with an Asian-flavored sauce, bake loaves of zucchini bread, and make a quick zucchini/green bean salad. I add them to chili, grill them on the barbeque, and slice them into salads. But I needed something more.

This led me to zucchini fritters and I have been trying out different recipes the last few weeks. My favorite is one from Bon Appetit (July 2013). The recipe itself is solid and needed no adjustment, but my one change was swapping out the soy dipping sauce. I prefer a creamy sauce, one that utilizes our lemons and makes the fritter look more like a potato pancake when dressed. I’ll include both sauce recipes below so you can choose which you prefer. I am thinking these might even be good in a smaller version, served as an appetizer.

The recipe was easy enough and preparation and cooking time were minimal. The majority of the time was spent draining the zucchini of excess water. While you can use a standard cheese grater for the zucchini, I highly recommend using a food processor or mandoline to grate the zucchini, as you tend to get better strands.

The fritters fried up quickly in a minimal amount of oil and can be kept warm in the oven as you finish the batch. Do not crowd the fritters. Most skillets will accommodate 4-5 fritters at a time, and you will need to make at least 2 batches.

Zucchini Fritters

1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), grated

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning

1 large egg

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Place grated zucchini in a colander set in the sink and toss with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, then wring zucchini dry in a clean kitchen towel. Place zucchini in a large bowl and gently mix in egg, flour, chives, and cornstarch; season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4-cupfuls of zucchini mixture into skillet, flattening slightly; cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to a paper towel–lined plate; season with salt. Repeat as needed.

Note: Fritters can be made 30 minutes ahead. Keep warm in a 200° oven.

Lemon-Garlic Sauce

1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

Mix all ingredients in small bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Soy Dipping Sauce

3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Crushed red pepper flakes

Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.