Squash Blossom Soup
By Melissa Pitts
I know, I know- soup in August? While I completely understand the knee-jerk reaction to stay far away from a steamy cup of soup during summer, I promise this soup is well worth it. Squash blossoms (flores de calabazas) have cropped up in farmers markets and supermarkets and this soup recipe is a classic way to prepare them. While it is common to fry and stuff the blossoms, I enjoy this soup as an appetizer or with a crusty piece of bread. Some notes: I made this completely vegetarian by using veggie broth, but you can use chicken broth and, instead of heavy cream I used low fat evaporated milk so the soup is creamy without being heavy.
There are a few things you want to know about preparing squash blossoms, however. There are male and female squash blossoms. The males grow off of the stem of the zucchini plant, and have stamen inside their blossom. The females grow directly off of the end of the zucchini, and have pistils inside their blossom. If you have males, remove the entire stem and the stamen inside. If you have females, remove the pistils. In addition, male and female blossoms have slightly tough, green “leaves” around their base. You may wish to snap these off, also. Rinse your blossoms under water gently to remove bugs, and pat dry carefully.
**Full disclosure here folks, this recipe is adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless, Golden Squash Crema.
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/2 large onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 potato, roughly chopped- russet is fine- or whatever you have
- 16 large, fresh squash blossoms (3-4 inches male blossoms)
- 2 poblano chiles
- 1 cup milk- I used nonfat but you can use whatever you have on hand
- 1 medium zucchini or summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 cup corn kernels- fresh or frozen is fine
- 1/2 cup low fat evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
- In a medium (4-qt.) soup pot, add the canola oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Scoop out half of the onion and garlic mixture and set aside. Add the broth and potato, partially cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes- or until the potato is cooked through.
- While the broth is simmering, prepare the squash blossoms. Peel off the sepals that come out from the base of the blossoms. Break off the stems. Remove the stamen in the center of each flower and discard. Cut the blossoms crosswise into 1⁄4-inch strips, including the bulbous base.
- Add half the blossoms to the broth and simmer 3 minutes In a food processor or in batches in a blender, purée the mixture and return it to the pot.
- Roast the chiles directly over a gas flame, or on a medium-hot gas grill, or 4 inches below a very hot broiler. Turn occasionally until blistered and blackened on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes for the flame or grill, about 10 minutes for the broiler. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand about 5 minutes. Peel off the charred skin, cut out the seed pod, then quickly rinse to remove straggling bits of skin and seeds. Cut into 1⁄4-inch dice.
- Add the chiles to the soup along with the milk and reserved onion; bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini (or summer squash) and corn, simmer a couple of minutes, then add the remaining squash blossoms. Simmer a couple of minutes longer. Remove from heat, stir in the evaporated milk, taste, and season with salt and black pepper.
