I
love squash all kinds of squash, so much that I always plant as many varieties
as I can in our garden. One of my favorites is the Mexican squash also
sometimes called summer squash. I love its flavor and texture. It is very
similar to the Italian zucchini just way way more flavorful. You can find it in
any Latin market or some farmer markets. Right now in California it is in
season so this is the best time to cook with it. Let’s get started with this
simple and delicious recipe:
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Ingredients for Soup:
4
Mexican squash
1
½ white onion
2
qts chicken broth. Vegan alternative vegetable broth low sodium
3
Bay leaves
2
tbs canola oil
Salt
Black
pepper
4
springs Fresh cilantro
Ingredients for Crostini:
1
rustic baguette roll
3
tbs olive oil
Salt
Start
by chopping the squash into squares and chop the onions in slices.
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| Pictured: Chopped Mexican Squash |
Put
the canola oil in the pot and add the onions. We want to caramelize the onions
a little bit, to accomplish this lower the flame to medium and move the onions
for a few minutes.
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| Pictured: Onions |
Add
the Mexican squash with the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. You will see
that the squash will change color and it will get soft.
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| Pictured: Squash, Onions, Salt & Pepper |
Add
the chicken broth to the squash and onions. If you want to make this recipe
Vegan just use Vegetable broth. Bring it to a boil and let it cook for about 5
minutes. After that use a hand blender/emulsifier to blend the soup.
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| Pictured: Hand Blender/emulsifier |
That will
create the creamy smooth consistency of our soup. Add the bay leaves and let it
cook for 20 minutes. Lower the flame to low.
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| Pictured: Soup with Bay Leaves |
To
make the crostini the first thing you want to do is turn your oven on at 380°F.
Slice the baguette as thinly as possible.
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| Pictured: Rustic Baguette |
Arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle
the olive oil on both sides of the bread. You can use a brush for this. Season
the bread lightly with salt.
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| Pictured: Rustic Baguette |
Our
soon to be crostinis are ready to go in the oven bake them for 10-12 minutes.
We want them to be slightly brown and crunchy.
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| Pictured: Crostini |
Garnish
the soup with a little bit of cilantro.
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| Pictured: Mexican Squash Soup with Crostini |