Yellow Squash Coconut Soup ♥

Would Julia Child be pleased? Will StephenCooks be pleased? Yes and yes, I think. You see, this soup is a variation on on last month's Cream of Zucchini Soup, a 'master recipe' from Julia Child's The Way to Cook but is also inspired by Stephen's Summer Squash & Fresh Corn Soup. I especially like Stephen's idea that some times we cook with our 'left hands', almost without thought while cooking something else, because it's that simple or flexible or forgiving.

So rather than use rice and sour cream like before, I used farro and coconut milk. And instead of the blender (or Stephen's faster food processor) to process, I used the Braun immersion blender, saving space in the dishwasher. And I used bacon grease instead of butter for more meaty flavor and substituted cabbage for onion since that's all that was on hand -- there you go! an entirely different soup.

It'll work the same for you, too, just cook with your 'left hand'.

KITCHEN NOTES This soup was good both hot and cold but the coconut flavor was more pronounced when hot. The immersion blender didn't yield the same unctuous smoothness as the blender but honestly, I loved the bits of nutty farro and chunks of squash though it's decidedly more rustic.

WHAT IS FARRO? It's a high-protein, high-fiber grain that is sometimes called 'emmer wheat' and is much-appreciated in Italian cuisine. I fell in love with this grain, its nutty and hearty puff, last spring. I don't quite know how to explain how it's different but I do recommend that you look for it (or if you like Amazon sells Farro Perlato. In St. Louis, I find it at Global Foods, in the rice section). The 'pearled' or 'semi-pearled' farro has some of the husk removed and cooks more quickly.

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THE SOUPER SOUP CHALLENGE Running with Tweezers is collecting soup recipes - this is my contribution!

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A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK With the weather slightly cooler, the greens are fresh again, arugula with peaches, concord grapes and feta, a memorable salad.

TWO YEARS AGO Nutmeg Carrots ... "so simple, so straight-forward"

YELLOW SQUASH COCONUT SOUP

Hands-on time: maybe 30 minutes?
Time to table: maybe 90 minutes?
Makes 10 cups

8 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon bacon grease (or butter or olive oil)
1 small onion, diced
1/2 a medium cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup farro (or rice, brown rice works fine)

1 1/2 pounds yellow squash, trimmed and grated (set aside one-fourth of this, if you like)
15 ounces low-fat coconut milk (or some other creamy liquid such as sour cream)
Salt & pepper to taste

Unsweetened coconut, to garnish, optional

Bring 4 cups of broth to a boil in the microwave. Meanwhile, in a very large pot or Dutch oven, melt the grease on MEDIUM HIGH til shimmery, then add the onion and cabbage as prepped, stirring to coat and then stirring often. Add the farro and stir to coat, let cook for about 5 minutes until cabbage is beginning to soften. Add the larger portion of the grated squash, stir to coat. Add the 4 cups hot broth and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer, cover and let cook for 15 - 30 minutes til farro and squash are cooked. (While this happens, heat the remaining 4 cups broth.) With an immersion blender, process soup til as smooth as desired (you may need to add some of the hot liquid to do this). Add remaining squash and coconut milk and warm completely through. Season to taste. Spoon into bowls and garnish with coconut.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Cup: 108 Cal (36% from Fat, 18% from Protein, 45% from Carb); 5 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 12 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; NetCarb11; 3 g Sugar; 20 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 478 mg Sodium; 1 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

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How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with hundreds of well-organized, quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.