Today was an interesting day. I worked from home because I'm in the middle of a huge bit of writing and creative work for Bethesda School of Ministry. I hit the computer straight from the time I got ready this morning, and after two cups of coffee and a few hours of work I suddenly realized I never ate breakfast!
Given the level of hunger I suddenly experienced, and given that I still had quite a few Project Growth jalapeños, I decided to make some cream cheese-stuffed peppers for lunch. They were delicious! I have a special recipe and a special technique for preparing these, but I'll have to share that in another blog post.
For dinner, I decided to try a new recipe. My wife Juliana said it was the best meal I've cooked thus far and she insisted I blog about it tonight. So let me share with you my Project Growth Diet recipe for Acorn Squash & Grilled Corn Chowder.
ACORN SQUASH & GRILLED CORN CHOWDER
2 small- to medium-sized acorn squash
1 medium bell pepper, cored and seeded
1/2 purple onion
3/4 stick of salted butter
salt & pepper
1 large ear of corn
2 cups whole milk
Cut the squash in half. Remove seeds and seed membrane. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Add enough water to just cover the bottom of the sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until very tender, about 30 minutes. While squash is baking, finely dice the bell pepper and onion. Melt butter in a large soup pot and saute pepper and onion until translucent. Season with a little salt and pepper as you go.
While the veggies are cooking, scoop the squash meat from the skin. The squash may be very wet; if so, let drain a bit in a strainer. Once the onion and peppers are translucent, add the squash meat and the milk to the soup pot. Season again with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a slow boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer until all the squash meat is thoroughly dissipated. Depending on the size and consistency of the squash, you may need to adjust the amount of milk up or down to gain the right viscosity, which is that of a creamy soup.
While the soup pot is simmering, shuck and grill a large ear of corn until it shows char marks on all sides. Using a sharp knife, cut the corn kernels from the cob and set aside.
Once the soup mixture is fully liquid, take the pot off the heat. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend until velvety smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Pour the blended soup back into the pot, add the corn kernels, stir until well-mixed, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 4.
This is a very simple recipe as far as ingredients; the secret is in the preparation. The two most important preparation points are the consistency of the soup and the toasty grilling of the corn. It's worth the time to take those extra steps to take this chowder to a different level. As my 21 year-old son Caleb, said, this dish is just straight-up comfort food. Have fun cooking, and enjoy the food!
Given the level of hunger I suddenly experienced, and given that I still had quite a few Project Growth jalapeños, I decided to make some cream cheese-stuffed peppers for lunch. They were delicious! I have a special recipe and a special technique for preparing these, but I'll have to share that in another blog post.
For dinner, I decided to try a new recipe. My wife Juliana said it was the best meal I've cooked thus far and she insisted I blog about it tonight. So let me share with you my Project Growth Diet recipe for Acorn Squash & Grilled Corn Chowder.
ACORN SQUASH & GRILLED CORN CHOWDER
2 small- to medium-sized acorn squash
1 medium bell pepper, cored and seeded
1/2 purple onion
3/4 stick of salted butter
salt & pepper
1 large ear of corn
2 cups whole milk
Cut the squash in half. Remove seeds and seed membrane. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Add enough water to just cover the bottom of the sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until very tender, about 30 minutes. While squash is baking, finely dice the bell pepper and onion. Melt butter in a large soup pot and saute pepper and onion until translucent. Season with a little salt and pepper as you go.
While the veggies are cooking, scoop the squash meat from the skin. The squash may be very wet; if so, let drain a bit in a strainer. Once the onion and peppers are translucent, add the squash meat and the milk to the soup pot. Season again with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a slow boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer until all the squash meat is thoroughly dissipated. Depending on the size and consistency of the squash, you may need to adjust the amount of milk up or down to gain the right viscosity, which is that of a creamy soup.
While the soup pot is simmering, shuck and grill a large ear of corn until it shows char marks on all sides. Using a sharp knife, cut the corn kernels from the cob and set aside.
Once the soup mixture is fully liquid, take the pot off the heat. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend until velvety smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Pour the blended soup back into the pot, add the corn kernels, stir until well-mixed, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 4.
This is a very simple recipe as far as ingredients; the secret is in the preparation. The two most important preparation points are the consistency of the soup and the toasty grilling of the corn. It's worth the time to take those extra steps to take this chowder to a different level. As my 21 year-old son Caleb, said, this dish is just straight-up comfort food. Have fun cooking, and enjoy the food!
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