Acorn Squash Bisque

Smooth, rich, bisquiness awaits!

Fall’s return can only mean one thing in the kitchens of the Brothers Brown—it’s soup season. With about a month to go, our CSA yields some deliciously sweet and nutty squash this time of year and what better way to celebrate it than with a nice, velvety bisque.  Roasting the veggies allows them to caramelize a bit, further enhances the flavors.

Equipment Needed: 5 QT Pot, Baking Pan, Wooden Spoon, Chef’s Knife, Cutting Board, Immersion Blender or Blender or Food Processor, Potato Masher

Serving Suggestion: Individual Plating

Servings: 6-8

Suggested Wine Pairing: Viognier, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Noir

Suggested Beer Pairing: Brown Ale, Pumpkin Ale, Oktoberfest

Ingredients:

• 2 large acorn squash ($1.69/lb)
• 4 carrots ($1.99/lb)
• 3 cloves garlic ($2.99/lb)
• 1 medium onion ($0.99/lb)
• 2 TSP cayenne pepper ($3.50/2 oz jar)
• 2 TBSP cinnamon ($3.59/3.5 oz jar)
• 3 C vegetable stock ($3.39/32 oz)
• 1 C whole milk ($1.19/QT)
• 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil ($9.99/32 oz)
• 1 TBSP dried thyme ($3.59/1.5 oz jar)
• 1 TSP ground allspice ($3.99/1.95 oz jar)
• 1/4 C grade A light maple syrup (about $7/8 oz)
• 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar ($2.79/32 oz)
• 1 TBSP unsalted butter ($4.99/lb)
• Salt
• Black Pepper

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 415° F.
• Wash the acorn squash thoroughly to remove any remaining dirt. Cut off the stems and cut the squash in half. With a large spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp in the center. Continue to cut the squash into quarters and then into quarters again. Toss them in the baking pan.

Use a serving spoon for maximum scooping effectiveness.

• Wash and peel your carrots. Halve them crosswise and add them to the pan.

Peel those roots.

• Peel the garlic cloves and add them whole to the other veggies. Peel and quarter your onion and toss it in too. Drizzle olive oil over the whole lot and give it an even dusting of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Pop everything in the oven for 40 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender.

Dust your veggies evenly but be careful not to overdo it. You can always adjust the flavors later.

• Remove the veggies from the oven; scoop the squash out of its skin and into the pot. Toss in the other veggies, pour in the vegetable stock and milk. Stir everything up and bring it to a boil.

The fattier the moo juice you use, the richer the bisque.

• Reduce the mix to a simmer and add all of your spices, herbs, syrup, vinegar and butter. Use your potato masher to break down the veggies a bit. Take your blending implement and puree it all until it’s smooth.

Blend until smooth.

• Put the soup back over low heat and re-taste it. Adjust the seasonings to your liking and serve with some nice, crusty bread.

Roasted Broccoli & Irish Cheddar Soup

A thick, rich and comforting bowl. Like a velour track suit for your tongue.

Broccoli and cheese soup is a pretty solid standby in our humble opinion but (to borrow from Swingers) it’s the PG-13 guy of the soup world; you’re really hoping it does the trick but if you want something exciting you want the rated R guy. Not sure if roasting the vegetables will make a difference? Poppycock. Apprehensive about the strength of the Irish cheddar’s brogue? Balderdash. Pumpernickel croutons? Nerts to you. Work with us here, people; you know the drill by now.

Equipment Needed: 2  Baking Sheets, 5 QT Pot, Immersion Blender or Food Processor, Wooden Spoon, Chef’s Knife, Cutting Board

Serving Suggestion: Individual Plating

Servings: 8

Suggested Wine Pairing: Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc

Suggested Beer Pairing: Dunkelwiess, Lager, Medium-bodied Ales

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs broccoli ($2.99/lb)
• 1 QT chicken stock ($3.29/32 oz)
• 1 PT heavy cream ($2.99/PT)
• 2 medium onions ($0.99/lb)
• 6 cloves garlic ($2.99/lb)
• 1/3 C flour ($1.89/2 lbs)
• 3 TBSP unsalted butter ($4.99/lb)
• 4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil ($9.99/32 oz)
• 1 lb Irish cheddar cheese ($11.99/lb)
• 1 loaf fresh pumpernickel bread (about $3/loaf)
• 1 TBSP garlic powder ($2/2.5 oz jar)
• Salt
• Pepper

Crouton Preparation:

You can do this before, during or after you make your soup. It takes about 10 minutes so do whatever works best for you.

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• Take your loaf of pumpernickel and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Throw them in a mixing bowl and toss them with a solid drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder and salt.

Be careful not to over-oil the bread or it won't crisp up nicely.

• Spread the croutons out evenly on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for about 5 minutes, then check to see if they’re crunchy. If not, five them another few minutes but be careful not to leave them in too long. Burnt croutons don’t party well with soup.

Soup Preparation:

• Preheat your oven to 425°F.
• Wash the broccoli and remove the majority of the stems. Cut them into medium-sized florets and put them on your baking sheets.

Keep the broccoli in decent sized pieces, smaller chunks tend to burn when you roast them.

• Peel and quarter your onions and place them on the backing sheets along with your broccoli. Mince your garlic cloves and spread evenly over the veggies on both sheets. Drizzle a healthy dose of olive oil over the whole lot, sprinkle with salt and pepper and throw them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are nicely roasted.

• While your broccoli is doing its thing, shred the cheese and set it aside for later.

If you can't find Irish cheddar, a nice English, Australian or just plain aged cheddar will do just fine.

• Next it’s time to get started on your roux. Put the pot over low heat and add in the butter. Once it’s melted slowly stir in the flour a little at a time so it makes a paste then cook this until it’s a rich bronze color.  Pour in the cream and stir everything together. Bring the burner up to medium heat and stir relatively constantly if your veggies haven’t finished. You don’t want the cream to scald.

Use low heat and be patient with the roux; burnt flour doesn't help anything.

• Once the veggies are done, throw them in the pot and add the chicken stock. Let everyone get friendly until the mixture comes to a boil. Once this happens remove it from the heat and get to work with your immersion blender (or food processor). You want to grind everything down to a consistent puree so don’t rush through this part.

Blend thoroughly. No one likes surprise chunks of stuff in an otherwise creamy soup.

• Once you’ve got it to the consistency you want, put it back on the stove over low heat. Stir in the cheddar a small handful at a time until you’ve gotten through it all. Once the cheese has completely melted in dish it up and go to town. For bonus points drizzle a little walnut or truffle oil on top of each bowl.

New England Clam Chowder with Cheesy Biscuits

Everything you could ever want in a bowl of creamy goodness.

Debating which type of clam chowder is better is but a fool’s errand since everyone knows that New England-style is the one chowder to rule them all. This hearty, creamy classic is easier to make than you would probably imagine and few things satisfy more when the mercury drops. Add the clams towards the end to prevent them from getting too chewy.

Equipment Needed: 8 QT Pot, Baking Sheet, Mixing Bowl, Cheese Grater, Chef’s Knife, Cutting Board, Wooden Spoon, Kitchen Shears, Vegetable Peeler, Rolling Pin, Cookie Cutter, Whisk, Parchment Paper

Serving Suggestion: Individual Plating

Servings: 8

Suggested Wine Pairing: Oaky Chardonnay, Rioja, Pinot Noir

Suggested Beer Pairing: Stout, Porter, Scotch Ale

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chopped clams ($1.99/6.5 oz can)
• 8 oz clam juice ($1.99/bottle)
• 6 strips of bacon ($6.99/lb)
• 4 large potatoes ($0.99/lb)
• 2 medium onions ($0.99/lb)
• 4 cloves garlic ($2.99/lb)
• 1 can of sweet corn ($1.69/11 oz)
• 1 QT 2% milk, divided ($1.19/QT)
• 1 pint heavy cream ($2.99/pint)
• 2 C Bisquick mix ($4.19/40 oz box)
• 1/2 C cheddar cheese ($5.99/lb)
• 1 TBSP crushed red pepper ($3.50/2.5 oz jar)
• 2 TSP dried thyme ($3.50/1.5 oz jar)
• 1/2 TBSP cayenne pepper ($3.50/2 oz jar)
• 2 bay leaves ($3/0.5 oz jar)
• Salt
• Pepper

Biscuit Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Whisk together 2 cups of Bisquick and 2/3 of a cup of milk until you’ve got a soft dough with no pockets of mix or clumps.
• Grate in 1/2 a cup of cheddar cheese and stir a bit more.

Grate the cheese in before you knead the dough for better cheddar distribution.

• Spread about 3 tablespoons of Bisquick on your cutting board so the dough doesn’t stick.With your rolling pin, roll it out flat until it’s about 1/2 an inch thick. Use your cookie cutter to cut out biscuits and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. If you don’t have parchment paper, just grease the baking sheet thoroughly with butter.

Insert knead/need pun here.

• Sprinkle a little bit of salt and crushed red pepper on the top of the biscuits. Pop those puppies in the oven and bake ‘em for about 9 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Set aside to cool and await their chowder-complementing fate.

Chowder Preparation:

• You’ll want to do all of your prep work beforehand so all you have to do is add ingredients once you get the soup base going. Start by dicing your onions and mincing the garlic.
• Next, scrub the potatoes, remove the eyes and cut them into 1 inch cubes. We like to leave the skins on but if that’s not your thing then peel before you cube them.

Uniformly cube the potatoes for even cooking and spoon-friendly eating.

• Put your pot over medium heat. Using the kitchen shears cut the bacon strips into 1/4 inch pieces and crisp them up for about 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook everything down for another 5-7 minutes until the veggies are soft.

Pretend you're surprised that we added bacon.

• Drain the corn and add it to the mix. Next, add the potato chunks, the rest of the quart of milk, cream, clam juice and bay leaves. Throw in your thyme, cayenne pepper and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper for good measure.

If you love your cardiologist, go ahead and use all cream instead of cutting it with milk.

• Bring everything to a boil, stirring occasionally. When you’ve reached your boiling point add the clams, reduce to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving. Season to taste, adding a little Garnish with some fresh parsley if desired and at least two biscuits if you know what’s good for you.

Sweet, Sweet Potato Chowder

Sweet, savory, a little heat. This bowl's got it all.

Notice how it’s been a little, well, f***ing freezing lately? Hop on that soup train and head to the warm shores of Flavorville with this deliciously creamy chowder we’ve brewed up. Sweet potatoes? Done. Bacon? Do you have to ask? Satisfaction? If you have taste buds you should be good to go.

Equipment Needed: 8 QT pot (you can do it with a 5 QT but you’ll be right up to the brim), Chef’s Knife, Vegetable Peeler, Cutting Board, Wooden Spoon, Kitchen Shears (it’s a fancy term for scissors)

Serving Suggestion: Individual Plating

Servings: 6

Suggested Wine or Beer Pairing: This one’s tough because it’s sweet, salty, rich and spicy all at once. We’re gonna cop out and tell you to just pair it with your favorite libation.

Ingredients:

• 3 sweet potatoes (about $1/lb)
• 3 medium carrots (about $1/lb)
• 1 large yellow onion ($.99/lb )
• 3 cloves garlic ($2.99/lb)
• 1 package of frozen corn (usually about 10 oz) ($1.49/package)
• 5 C whole milk ($2.50 per half gallon)
• 2 cans chicken stock (it should be around 29 oz) ($1.50/14.5 oz can)
• 6-8 strips of bacon ($6/lb)
• 2 TBSPS thyme (about $4/jar)
• 2 TBSP allspice (about $4/jar)
• 2 TBSP cinnamon (about $4/jar)
• 2 TBSP cayenne pepper (about $4/jar)
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

• Peel and wash the carrots and cut them lengthwise into quarters. Once separated, chop the carrots into small cubes (about 1/4-1/2 inch thick).

Dice your carrots into equal sized pieces so they cook evenly.

• Peel and wash your sweet potatoes. Cut them into 1 inch discs horizontally and then cut them again into eighths, or halves or whatever. The point is that you want potato chunks around a square inch or so.

These are sweet potatoes. They're why this recipe is called sweet potato chowder.

• Peel your onion and garlic then dice and mince, respectively. No, you don’t get a picture of that this time, you should’ve been paying attention to the other lessons.
• Next, put your stock pot over medium heat. Take your bacon and cut it into 1/2 inch pieces directly into the pot, or slice it with a knife and add it if you don’t have kitchen shears (look into them, though, a decent pair runs about $15).

Make it rain.

• Stir the bacon occasionally for about 4 minutes and then add your onions, garlic and carrots. Cook the veggies down for another 5 minutes or so, then pour in the milk and chicken stock. Stir continuously until your magic brew juuuuust starts to boil.

Double, double toil and not so much trouble. Yeah, that was a Shakespeare reference, wanna fight about it?

• Throw in the sweet potatoes, corn, and spices and keep it on medium heat until it starts bubbling again. Reduce to low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for about another 15-20 minutes; salt and pepper to taste. Pour into bowl, blow to cool, and eat.

Roasted Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

Chunky and rich. Insert your favorite Khloe Kardashian joke here.

One of our favorite things about fall is that it gives us the excuse to make copious amounts of soup, and not that wimpy-assed cold cucumber bisque or gazpacho people fawn over in the summer. We’re talking meal-in-a-bowl-I-almost-need-a-fork-to-eat-it soup. Enter the Brothers’ roasted cauliflower and cheddar soup. The roasted veggies give this dish a rich flavor and toothsome quality, while the cheese…well, do you really need an excuse to put cheese in something?

Equipment Needed: Baking Sheet, 5 QT Pot, Chef’s Knife, Cutting Board, Wooden Spoon, Cheese Grater, Food Processor (or Blender)

Serving Suggestion: Individual Plating

Servings: 6ish (depending on who’s eating and how hungry they are)

Suggested Wine or Beer Pairing: Oaky Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pale Ales, English Ales

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower (don’t use frozen cauliflower, your soup will suck)(around $3)
• 8 oz cheddar cheese (about $4)
• 1 medium onion ($.99/lb)
• 2 C whole milk ($1.10/QT)
• 3 C chicken stock ($3.50/32 oz)
• 3 cloves of garlic ($2.99/lb)
• 1 TBSP crushed red pepper (about $2/jar)
• Extra virgin olive oil ($9.99/34 oz bottle)
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

• Preheat your oven to 400° F and start by cleaning and cutting the cauliflower into small 1-2 inch florets and spread evenly on your baking sheet.

Cut your cauliflower into even pieces.

• Mince the garlic cloves and cut the onion into quarters. Sprinkle the garlic and crushed red pepper over the top of the cauliflower. Place the onion quarters on the baking sheet with everything else, salt and pepper everything and finish it all off with an even coating of olive oil.

Oil those bad boys up.

• Put your veggies in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. At that point pull them out and flip everything over. Throw them back in for another 15 minutes until golden brown/slightly burnt.

• Once you put your veggies back in to finish roasting, pour the chicken stock and milk into your saucepan and put over low heat. You want to simmer the liquid to bring it up to temperature so you don’t have to lose any time reheating once you add the cauliflower. As you’re waiting for everything to finish, grate the cheddar cheese so it mixes easier when the time comes.

• When your veggies are done, dump them (carefully, you don’t want a hot stock burn) into the liquid and bring everything to a boil.

• Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Add more stock if you want to thin things out a bit. Put the soup back in the pot and add your cheddar cheese. Stir until everything’s mixed, serve and sigh contently as the wind whistles outside.

Cheddar makes it beddar.

Blue Tomato Soup

Once you go blue, you never go back.

Blue tomatoes? Blasphemous! Jake, Thomas, why have I never heard of such a thing? Calm down, everyone, it’s nothing more than a (mildly) clever play on words. This delicious concoction marries the creamy bite of blue cheese (or bleu cheese if you wanna be pretentious) with the richness of roasted tomatoes, brought together in holy matrimony by the gratuitous addition of bacon. It’s not a fast meal to make, but it will vanish quickly from the bowls of you and yours.

Equipment Needed: 13 x 9 Baking Pan, 5 QT Pot, Frying Pan, Chef’s Knife, Cutting Board, Vegetable Peeler, Wooden Spoon, Food Processor (or Blender)

Serving Suggestion: Individual Plating

Servings: 6ish (depending on who’s eating and how hungry they are)

Suggested Wine or Beer Pairing: Dark Belgians or medium-bodied red wines (pairing with a soup like this is tough, so maybe just stick with your favorite drink)

Ingredients:

• About 3 lbs of tomatoes (around $3/lb)
• 6 oz blue cheese (about $7/lb)
• 2 medium carrots ($1.50/lb)
• 1 medium onion ($.99/lb )
• 3 C whole milk ($1.10/QT)
• 1 1/2 C chicken stock ($3.50/32 oz)
• 6-8 strips of bacon ($6/lb)
• 3 cloves of garlic ($2.99/lb)
• Extra virgin olive oil ($9.99/34 oz bottle)
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 400° F. Start your prep work by cutting the tomatoes in quarters (or eighths if you’ve got big ‘uns). Remove the seeds and put them in your baking pan.

Quarter your tomatoes and be sure to scoop out the seeds.

• Mince your garlic and sprinkle it evenly across the top of the tomatoes.

You should know what it looks like to mince garlic by now.

• Peel the onion and quarter it. Peel both carrots and cut them into 2 inch sticks about a half an inch wide; no need to get too precise but cutting them the same size will help them roast more evenly.

Don't cry, dry your eyes. Here come the Brothers with a soup surprise.

• Put the other veggies in the pan with the tomatoes and drizzle olive oil over the top. Throw them in the oven and roast for about 30-40 minutes, until they’re on the mushy side and you can clearly smell tomatoes wafting through your abode.

Oil those beautiful babies up.

• While the tomatoes are roasting, cut your bacon into half-inch pieces and fry it up over medium heat on the stove top. Drain and set aside for later.

Bacon money shot.

• With about 10 minutes left in your roasting time, combine the chicken stock and milk in your pot and place over medium-low heat on the stove top, stirring regularly. This will bring your liquids to temperature, making it quicker to mix everything together. Once the tomatoes et. al are done, pull them out of the oven and toss them into the pot. (HUGE NOTE: if you don’t peel the tomatoes, you will have little chunks of skin in your soup when you’re finished. We actually like this but if you want a smoother experience you’ll want to take a paring knife and gently try to remove the skin from each tomato piece. Just be forewarned this is extremely trying and time-consuming; you might be better off lazy and just call the soup “rustic”)
• Add the blue cheese and bring the mixture up to medium heat, stirring regularly for about another 5 minute to break everything down a bit. Next, pour the mixture into your blending/processing/loud-noise-making device of choice and blend until smooth. If your soup is too chunky for your liking, add more milk and keep blending ’til it evens out. You can either mix the bacon in now and serve (which we recommend) or get all fancy and use it as a garnish with some thin-sliced flat leaf parsley.