Pesto and Chef Elite, LLC: June 2009

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Welcome to the Pesto and Chef Elite blog page

I am a local personal chef in Boulder, Colorado. As with most chefs, I have a passion for food. In thought, a simple meal can become something more than just sustenance. With some love in the creation of a meal, foods can be harmonized through the combination of flavors and textures exciting even the most unrefined palates.

I hope that people will join in on my blog. Tell me what they think of my recipe posts. Please share what you experienced while preparing them or even perhaps what you experienced while tasting. I am grateful for this opportunity to share great food with people. I am unable to make food for everyone, but everyone deserves it just the same. So enjoy, take some time out, and in the words of someone very close to me, "You should make something for yourself, you're special."

Body-Warming Recipes for Fall

Butternut Squash-Roasted Corn, Chipotle Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. bacon, rough chop
1/2 red onion, fine dice
1 medium-large butternut squash, seeded and halved
1 small can Chipotle peppers
1/4 cup green pumpkin seeds (pepitas or chinese pumpkin seeds)
16 oz. chicken stock or broth
2 cups frozen corn
1 bunch fresh cilantro, rough chop (optional)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the halved butternut squash cut side facing up. Brush the extra-virgin olive oil evenly over the squash and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, toss the corn in a little extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on another baking sheet and bake in same 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until golden.

In a large pot on medium-high heat, add the bacon and brown, rendering the fat. Add the red onion, reduce the heat to low-medium and quickly stir so as not to burn, stir consistently for about 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add the chicken stock/broth, and reduce heat to simmer.

Open the can of chilies and remove one medium sized chili and give it a rough chop. In the can there is also a sauce that the chilies sit in. It's called Adobo sauce and it has a great smokey flavor, spoon out about 1-2 Tablespoons (depending how spicy you want the soup), and add to the pot. Add roasted corn as well.

Once the squash has finished, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Once cooled remove scrape out the meat of the squash with a spoon, mash with a fork and add to the pot. Stir occasionally, and continue simmering for about 20 minutes.

Once the soup is finished, serve and top with pumpkin seeds and freshly chopped cilantro.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Welcome to the Pesto and Chef Elite blog page

Pesto and Chef Elite, LLC

Food is not just food...

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Body-Warming Recipes for Fall