Summer Squash Chowder
Well - I feel like Summer has officially come to an end. We spent yesterday (our final day of forecasted nice weather) on the boat fishing with Jordan’s parents, enjoying the water + the company + continuing our quest of actually catching a fish. We’ve gone out on the boat so many times + made it our mission to catch a cook-able fish. Yet to happen. A lot of close + memorable close calls, but til next Summer on that one. And the later half of the afternoon spent in the yard - just lounging + reading + enjoying a glass of white wine + gathering the last of our garden items. I just had this strong desire to really enjoy our house, particularly our yard, yesterday, and as the sun was going down + we were heading inside to make dinner, I felt like I was saying goodbye to the yard, and like “packing it up” until next year. I even took one last video of Walt in the yard because I couldn’t help myself and just wanted to remember it (so lame + dramatic). And also totally overwhelmed by memories of all the fun we had this season. A lot of time with family + friends. So much good food + cozy evening out by the picnic table. A few real deal parties that made me feel like a real adult + time spent that really allowed us to enjoy our home. Watching our newest home addition go up, and making actual progress towards making this house our forever home. New adventures family adventures on the water - dogs included. I think it was our best Summer yet up here in the PNW, and as lame as it sounds, a real season of growing + settling in up here, and having a lot of fun in the process. I’m so grateful for every second.
And on a lighter note, a full blown relationship with our garden this Summer. Particularly with our garden squash. I was like a proud mom seeing our precious garden squash flourish. And so much gratification bringing in literally giant sized squash, and finding fun stuff to make with them. Our goal - not letting one go to waste. And we were successful! One of our last harvests, we snagged 4 HUGE squash, and feeling a little unprepared to fire up the grill or to handle a big bowl of pasta, I went the soup route. First time ever trying to transform our squash into soup, & it went great! Our Summer Squash Chowder was a total winner - cheesy + creamy + all around comforting. I’d dare say I’m not even a big squash person (like you couldn’t pay me to eat one raw with a dipper), but I do love this veggie grilled or sautéed with quite a bit of garlic. This soup was a perfect example of a recipe where squash is the prominent flavor + ingredient, and still great for someone who doesn’t necessarily identify as a squash lover.
Corn Chowder Vibes
This is a soup for all the corn chowder lowvers out there, and I say that as one myself. The creamy, buttery vibes of a solid corn chowder - heavenly! This soup brought me all of the satisfaction of a traditional corn chowder, but I’m convinved its so much healthier because it is light on the butter + cream + corn, and heavy on the squash. Takeaway - squash that is immersion blended to all hell leads to a creamy + velvety soup consistecy and it’s fabulous. Take it to te next levelwith some v-traditional chowder topping - chives + bacon + cheese+ and you are living you’re best summer chowder life.
Go heavy on the immersion blender
The key to a good chowder is the consistency, and i. needs to be creamy + smooth + velvety. And that means it needs to be blended long enough to make that happen. And what you need to do is set a timer for 3 minutes and just blend until the time runs out - whether you’re using an immersion blender or regular blender. It’s like the concept of a watched pot never boils - you just need to trust the process and give your blender enough time to do the job. And 30 seconds is not going to cut it. So just set a timer + zone in on the blending.
Cheesy + delicious
The real decadent ingredient is the cheese. This is a cheesy chowder. And the sharp cheddar adds a nice bite to the soup. So don’t be cute + try to skimp it. Must have the cheese and more must be added to your warm bowl of soup upon serving. Crucial!
A recipe I’ll totally be re-visting next Summer, because I will 100% be growing squash again and I will 100% be totally obsessed be putting them to good use.
For the soup
2 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, diced
4 zucchini (big ones!), halved then sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of corn
2 tbsp parsley
1 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne
6 c. chicken broth (+ 1-2 more if needed for a thinner consistency // totally dependent on the dize of your garden squash)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar
For the soup toppings
bacon
more sharp cheddar
fresh chives
blistered tomatoes
Start by placing a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the butter, and once melted add in the diced onion. Cook for about 7 minutes, then add in the garlic + squash. Cook for another 7 minutes or so - just until the squash has become tender + more translucent. Add in the corn + broth, and bring the soup to a boil. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat + blend with your immersion blender. I like my chowder smooth + creamy, so I just let my immersion blender go for about 3 minutes.
Return the pot to the stove and place over medium-low heat. Stir in the cream + the parsley, stirring consistently to incorporate. Add in the seasonings. Next, stir in the cheese one pinch at a time, stirring until totally melted and blended into the chowder before adding in another helping of cheese. When all the cheese has been added, turn the heat down to low + cover until you're ready to serve.
Ladle your soup into bowls + top with all your favorites. My recommendation (and favorite serving style) - a combo of cheese, bacon, + chives placed right on tap in that order. I feel like that’s traditional chowder style, and it slaps every time. We did have a ton of leftover soup + a ton of garden tomatoes at one point, so we did saute up some tomatoes to make blistered tomatoes, and put those + shredded cheddar on top of soup at one point, and it was also great.
note on the extra broth: if your soup is pretty thick after you immersion blend it, just add more broth another 1/2 cup at a time to thin it out a little, blending it into your soup with the immersion blender.