Hello again. I'm so glad to see you're still here on Day Five of our fabulous soup week. And it's a good thing that you are, because I want you to meet one of my good friends from high school.
Louise was there the week that I "went bad" for the first time. We had just graduated from high school and were ready to see the world. So, naturally, Louise, Kylie and I packed up my parent's Saturn and took off for San Francisco. Due to an unfortunate miscalculation, by the time we got there, we only had about 20 hours before we had to turn around and go back. But that didn't stop the three of us from making quite a trip of it. (After all, we accidentally managed to get our hands on a whole six-pack of Mike's hard lemonade.) Ah, to be 18 and rebellious again. Since that week, we've all regressed to a more laughably wholesome state, knitting and baking our way through life. But who knows, maybe one of these days the three of us will get back together for a reunion road trip, where we'll once again throw caution to the wind...and find ourselves another pack of Mike's.
Ladies, and Gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce...Louise!
What’s the name of your soup?
Beans, Squash and Corn stew
Were you inspired by someone else’s recipe? If so, which one?
I was inspired by many different combinations of black beans and winter squash – then I found almost the exact soup I wanted to make in the cookbook Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair.
If you invented the recipe yourself, what originally inspired you to throw these particular ingredients into a pot?
Well, I didn’t invent this all by myself, but I still want to answer this question. I have been really into winter squash this season. I got butternut squash enchiladas at a restaurant last month and they were amazing! There were black beans on the side and the earthy beans, spicy sauce and sweet squash were a great match. I had made spicy black bean soup before, and I knew I wanted to add some squash next time. Then I got your email – so, Thin Crust Deep Dish inspired me to throw these ingredients into a pot. Thanks!
When was the first, or most memorable, time you ate this soup?
This winter.
Should this soup be eaten with alongside anything in particular? Or at a certain time of day? Or in a certain kind of weather?
I think this is best in cold weather. Its spicy and hearty. I ate it for breakfast this morning when I woke up chilled and with a sore throat and stuffy nose. I have been meaning to make it with corn bread but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
Ingredients
1 delicatta or butternut squash, peeled and chopped into ½ inch pieces.
3 cups of cooked beans (I used pinto, white and black)
OR 2 cans beans
1 onion
2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 can tomatoes
1 cup corn (frozen works)
2 t oregano
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
salt to taste
2-3 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
Heat olive oil in large stock pot. Saute onions until nearly soft. Add garlic and spices. Continue to cook for a few more minutes. Pour broth and tomatoes over onions and add squash.
Cook about 10 minutes or until squash is soft. Add more broth or water if necessary.
Add beans and corn and cook until hot. Add salt to taste.
My boyfriend and I just made this soup with a few adjustments based on what we had in our kitchen. We threw in a shallot with the onion, used a sweet potato instead of the squash, and added in zucchini too. It was delicious -- what an amazing, flexible, and very tasty soup recipe! Thanks for sharing!
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