Eating on the Farm - Crema de Zucchini with Basil
Yvonne and I married in June of 2014, and early the following year travelled to Peru to celebrate our marriage. While down there, we spent our days walking around Lima, frequenting the mercados to try the plethora of beautiful fruits and local vegetables, taking photos and drawing, and playing cards. We also spent a short time in Cusco, during which Yvonne got really sick. Turns out, Truett was starting her journey towards humanhood, unbeknownst to the two of us.
Perhaps most memorable, though, were the meals we ate. Peru seems to have in the past decade been finally recognized for a deep, varied, and amazing culinary history, defined by an amazing diversity of vegetables (given diversity of land elevation and features), and obviously the seafood tradition that inevitably follow the having of nearly 2000 miles of coastline.
Of all the special things that we ate, though, one common dish sticks out as so simple and delicious - the vegetable cremas. Crema de aspárragos, crema de zapallo (squashes), crema de choclo (corn), and others were frequently on menus in restaurants across the gamut. Obviously, this is a style of soup that one sees the world over, but something about the simplicity of the Peruvian soups, along with the upfront flavor of the vegetable, made them unforgettable.
I tried my hand at a Crema de Zucchini given the abundance of green zucchini coming off the field, and I was really pleased. Combined with lots of fresh basil, and a little coconut milk to thicken and add texture, and you can’t go wrong. So simple, so delicious, and really quite versatile if used in concert with other dishes (to thicken broth soup, as a dip for bread, or eaten with pasta or rice). Try it out with zucchini, and then cycle through the season’s offerings in the same way.
Crema de Zucchini Soup
Sauté 1 onion diced and 4 whole garlic cloves in olive oil.
Add maybe a tbs curry powder or preferred spice mix (cumin, paprika).
Add 1 can coconut milk and stir, cooking for a minute.
Add large diced zucchini with seeds removed (optional, texture preference).
Mix and add just enough water to cover zucchini.
Cook until quite soft, maybe 15 minutes, on medium heat.
Blend the whole mix with fresh basil, adding salt and pepper to taste.
No shortage of Fordhook Giant Zucchini this year.
