Comfort

Sometimes I am all too aware that this world, and our culture in particular, is not a gentle place.  Does the ability to still be shocked and knocked off balance by non-sensical violence reflect naivete or absurdly persistent optimism (or are these indistinguishable)?  Whatever the source, I am reeling from a slap of reality now.  A walk to the farmer's market helped some, but the unexpectedly bracing wind left my body as chilled as my spirit.

The remedy?  Comfort food, in the form of creamy kabocha squash soup (recipe follows), beets (thank you Trader Joe's!), steamed baby bok choy with ume-sesame vinaigrette, fresh locally-baked sourdough baguette and hummus (with a kalamata olive garnish, of course).  Helped warm me up some, inside and out.

For the soup (adapted from The Kind Diet):

1. Peel and cut (in 1" to 2" chunks) a kabocha (or buttercup, which is very similar) squash
2.  Place squash in a pot with enough water to almost cover the squash (you can add more later if it is too thick)
3.  Cover and bring to a boil
4.  Add a pinch of salt, lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the squash is tender
5.  Transfer to a blender to puree or use a handheld blender to puree in the pot
6.  Add another generous pinch (or more, to taste) of salt or 1 teaspoon (or more) of soy sauce or tamari, then cover and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
7.  Enjoy!