Squash Blossom & Corn Soup

Add in Some Padrons For a True Happy Boy Meal

Total Time: 50 min Servings: 3-4

Posted by Lily

The thing about squash blossoms is that people either don’t buy them because they have no idea what to do with them OR they buy them to make in exactly one way, generally the way their grandmas made ‘em (or is that just the people at our market? SO many good grandma recipes have come my way!). I too was once like you. Then I decided to branch out and found a recipe for this soup that I have tweaked a bit to make more up my alley. It is
light and rich at the same time, summery but cozy, zippy but not overwhelming…oh man. This is the summer soup your squash blossoms have been dreaming of.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
1 large white or yellow Happy Boy onion, chopped (not too fine)
2 cups chicken stock
2 small (or one larger), Happy Boy potatoes (I used two Butterballs but a Nicola or two would have been delightful as well! Also, I never peel potatoes but if you do…do!)
12 Happy Boy squash blossoms
A basket of Happy Boy pardons or about 2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled (as best you can), deseeded and chopped into strips. If you use pardons, I wouldn’t bother peeling them and don’t deseed. Tip on how to roast, below.
1 cup milk
1 medium Happy Boy zucchini, cut into medium chunks
Kernels from 2 Happy Boy ears of corn
1/2 cup Happy Boy greek yogurt (just kidding, we don’t make yogurt…I was just on a roll!)
salt

PREPARATION
1. In a good-for-soup pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add chopped onion, and cook until light gold.
3. Scoop out half of the onions and set aside.
4. Add stock and potato to the pot and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Once boiling, drop the heat and simmer, partially covered for about 20 min.
6. While that’s happening, remove the base of the squash blossom stem and take out the stamen. Cut them into strips.
7. Add half of your blossom strips to the stock and cook for a few minutes.
8. Blend your mixture. BE CAREFUL! If you have an immersion blender, use it (and can I borrow it?). If you’re using a blender-blender, work in batches and do not burn yourself!
9. Put the mixture back to the pot over medium heat.
10. Add the chopped, roasted poblano, milk and the rest of the onion to the soup, and stir.
11. Simmer for 10 minutes then add zucchini and corn. Simmer for another few minutes, then add the other pile of squash blossom strips. Take off after a couple of minutes.
12. Stir in yogurt and add salt to taste.
13. Serve in soup bowls and finish with a sprinkling of chopped epazote or flat leaf parsley.

Serving ideas
If you have some epazote (or cilantro…or parsley even), sprinkle some on top! And if you eat this soup with a little quesadilla and a small salad with toasted pepitas on it…you will be correct.

OH! And I did add a handful of spinach to the soup just before the squash
blossoms…because I had some and because it reminded me of the squash blossom soup I had in Oaxaca once. Mmmm…

Roasting pepper ideas
If you are using our lovely pardons, chop off the stems and very tops then pan-fry them in a tiny amount of oil (don’t want them to be oily at all because you’re incorporating them). Let them get nice and toasty.

If you’re using poblanos (and have a gas stove…which is how I do it), turn the flame on medium-ish, stick the peppers on top of the burner, flip them often (trying to hit all sides) and do not leave them unattended. After they have turned pretty toasty and blistery on as many sides as you can get, let them cool. Then slide the skin off as best you can (running
under a little stream of water can help with this). It doesn’t have to be perfect, the skin is just a little bitter. Get off what you can, cut them open, deseed, and slice into strips!

Or for either, if you have a bbq and are out there anyway…stick ‘em on!