cooking @ home

Gourmet and gourmet food. Exactly what do these mean? And I am not talking about people who are “gourmets”, which by the way, is actually supposed to be “gourmands”, and either way (truthfully or not) seem to equate with snobbery. No, what makes something gourmet cooking or gourmet food?

The definition it seems nearly everyone uses is the same: “gourmet food is of the highest quality and flavor, prepared well and presented in an artful manner”. A three year old discussion on a forum a person, saying the thinks there should be more, posts: “I have had some of the best meals at non-’gourmet’ venues and some of the worst at ‘gourmet’-venues.”

Kate the global gourmet thinks likewise: “Personally, I think it’s important to keep in mind that ‘quality’ is the operating term here. I have had many a meal in fancy 3-star restaurants that I would not consider gourmet—the ingredients were tired, the flavors overwhelming and presentation in the form of skyscraping towers entirely overdone. For me, a simple dinner of a roast chicken, fresh vegetables and fruit and cheese for dessert can be the epitome of a gourmet meal—but only if the ingredients are of high quality and cooked properly.”

Which brings me around to what I think. I think the word is changing and evolving and becoming less “snooty”. I basically agree with the two people I quoted above on what they say. I think though it goes further … especially with food. I think if something is difficult to find or to procure or is expensive, that that often makes something “gourmet”. For instance, if you rarely eat duck or quail or frogs legs, then having them is for you a more gourmet meal.

Building on this, if I’m cooking with something that is available to me, and most people I know around me have never had it, it too is possibly gourmet (though, yes, it might just be unusual in the Anthony “I’ll Eat Anything” Bourdain style of things.) If I have something that is plentiful around me, and others too can easily get their hands on it, and it’s not expensive, yet because of either true or perceived difficult, people do not buy nor cook nor eat it much, that too might be gourmet.

The reason I am “going here”, you see, is I think this particular meal is somewhat “gourmet-ish” if that were an actual word. Chorizo (a spicy Spanish sausage) I finally found after a lot of looking. Now I’m betting a lot of people seeing it in the meat case at the market would pass it up though, maybe for simply not knowing what it was, and not wanting to try it. Meanwhile, while there were dozens upon dozens of butternut squashes at the market, I’m betting you would not see one in everyone’s shopping cart. In fact, I’d bet the number of people who might buy one to be a ratio of one against something with three zeroes, 1:100 or maybe 1:250 or 1:500, I can’t say which, but I’m betting the number comes out to less than 1 percent. And why? Because of difficulty and/or unfamiliarity.

Another thing about the term “gourmet”. And this has to do also with it’s opening up and evolving. Forty years ago a perfectly delicious meal cooked at home would not be called gourmet; in fact it would be ignored by nearly all chefs. Then about 20 years ago I started hearing the term “peasant food” used by chefs. It suggested that everything from hunter’s stew to a mixed fried rice, food of the poor or the peasants, historically — but weren’t they also suggesting the middle class of today I always suspected — came on the map. Today the terms are “comfort foods” and regional or local fare and this once overlooked field of poor man’s cooking or everyday cooking, is covered by everyone to some degree even if upscaled. For example, chefs Mario Batali and Lydia Bastianich co-own an upscale pizzeria in Manhattan. You would not have seen that twenty years ago, and never forty years ago, not by nationally and internationally known chefs, no way. Imagine Julia Child opening up an upscaled KFC! And just last week I saw Robert Irvine cook for the crew at Pixar; among items served was oxtails. These are what I’m talking about in terms of the evolution of what gourmet food means today.

So what brought these thoughts to mind, as said, is that in some ways I consider this recipe here to be “gourmet”. In part because chorizo is so hard to find and is regional to Spain and because the butternut squash, while cheaper and more plentiful, is often passed by as being too difficult or mysterious. In another way though, I sorta want to toss the whole “gourmet” word out the window, and say it comes down to good food — a perfect pizza slice or a beef wellington, a BBQ pork rib or coq au vin, an Italian merlot or a cold pint of Yuengling. Is it good? Really, really good? Do you like it? Do you absolutely love it? Would you have it again and again? To me that is the new gourmet.

With that discussion aside, do check out my recent article on Peeling and Cutting a Butternut Squash, if you haven’t already done so, before trying this recipe. Also, you can leave the rice and chorizo out of this dish if you want a simpler and more silky dish (or just a vegetarian one); obviously I wanted something more rustic and meaty and chunky. And finally, while they aren’t the same, if you want to substitute chorizo, I would suggest, in order: hot Italian sausage or smoked kabasa and add a healthy amount of paprika while cooking it.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chorizo and Rice

1 medium squash, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1 inch cubes
9 oz chorizo sausage, cooked, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

(mirepoix)
1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 one large carrot, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 cup cooked white long-grain rice (or your favorite rice)
32 oz. chicken stock
1 cup dry or slightly-sweet white wine
1/2 pint half-and-half
2 tbsps butter (not margarine)(optional)

salt
pepper
nutmeg
garlic
thyme
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place cubed squash on baking sheet, drizzle with oil, mix around to make sure completely covered. Sprinkle on spices listed, go light on the garlic powder and the nutmeg, and heavier on the thyme. Sprinkle a bit more oil on top and once again, mix and turn to ensure coverage. Place in oven for 35-50 minutes until softened and slightly browned on bottom side. Let cool somewhat.

While the squash cubes are roasting, if you haven’t premade your rice, make it now. Ditto cooking the chorizo sausage. Place your mirepoix in a saucepan with oil and sweat for about 10 minutes. When mirepoix and squash are finished, place both in food processor. (Note, I will often save 10 percent of the squash chunks to put in separately later). Then add two cups of chicken broth into processor, puree, then the third, then the fourth cup.

Dump all back in the pot. Place on medium heat. Add half-and-half, wine, rice and chorizo chunks (and reserved squash chunks if you’ve done so) and stir to mix well. Add seasonings listed above to this as desired. Mix well for a few minutes over medium heat. You may optionally place butter in at this point to give a more velvety sheen to the soup. Serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

This soup is extremely rich. If you need to “cut” the taste further to your liking, use an extra cup of milk first; if you feel the need to thin it out more, then use an additional cup of water. Would serve with a salad to offset the taste if part of the main meal. Naturally this also serves as an excellent first-course appetizer.

If you desire, you can alter this by leaving out the chorizo and rice and no reserved squash chunks if you want a silkier and/or a vegetarian soup; if you do this you will probably need less liquid and so adjust by using less or no wine, or less chicken stock to offset the fewer ingredients.

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