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Sopa de Zapallo (Pumpkin Soup)
Sopa de Zapallo (Pumpkin Soup)
Most people think of something sweet when they think of pumpkin flavored anything. This is the exact opposite. This soup is as savory as it gets and is high end restaurant quality in flavor; I kid you not. When making this soup, I was a little underwhelmed…until I tasted it. I know something is really, really good when I say “Holy Shit” out loud. The tomatoes help balance out the pumpkin, so it’s not so dominant. What it really tastes like is a cross between tomato soup and butternut squash soup. You can garnish it with green onions and crumbled queso, unless you want to keep it vegan. Either way, if you want to impress some people, serve them this as the soup course.
Equipment
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 4 roma tomatoes chopped
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 small pumpkin seeded, peeled, and cubed
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- green onions finely chopped
- queso fresco crumbled; omit if you want the soup vegan
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, tomatoes, cumin seeds and ground, for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the veggie stock. Add in the pumpkin. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
- Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a couple more minutes until it is your desired consistency.
Tajin Sibnekh
Tajin Sibnekh
Tajin sibnekh is sort of a Tunisian chicken and egg bake; similar to an Italian frittata. The egg bake contains chicken, potatoes, peas, spinach, eggs, and Tunisian seasonings such as harissa ans ras el hanout.
Equipment
- 9” x 13” glass baking dish
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 potatoes peeled and cubed
- 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 1 1/2 tsp ras el hanout
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 bunch spinach
- 8 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup peas
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Fry the potatoes until golden brown; about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the chicken and onions. Sauté for 6 minutes.
- Add in the harissa, tomato sauce, ras el hanout, butter, and water. Bring to a simmer.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, mix the beaten egg, peas, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in the cooled chicken and spinach from the sauté pan and the fried potatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9” x 13” glass baking dish. Pour in the egg mixture.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the center is firm. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Uruguayan Chivito
Uruguayan Chivito
The chivito is the national sandwich of Uruguay. This whopper of a sandwich has beef tenderloin, ham, cheese, avocado, pickled red onion, basil, and mayonnaise on a toasted bun.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 brioche rolls
- 6 oz beef tenderloin thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices ham
- 2 slices mozzarella cheese or Swiss
- 1/2 avocado thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup basil
- pickled red onions
- mayonnaise
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Toast the buns for a couple of minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Seadon the tenderloin with salt and pepper. Add to the sauté pan. Sear for a minute on the first side.
- Flip the tenderloin. Create 2 piles with the beef. Top each pile with a slice of cheese. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the ham to the pan and cook for a minute.
Sandwich Assembly
- Spread mayonnaise on both sides of the buns.
- Place the avocado slices on the bottom half; pickled red onions on the top.
- Place the beef/cheese pile on top of the avocado.
- Top the beef with a handful of basil. Place the ham on the red onions.
