Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1067657
120 For Ryan McGovern, chef at Feather & Wedge in Rockport, whatever his farmers are growing makes it onto that week's menu, such as the sweet potatoes from First Light Farm in Ham- ilton that he's recently turned into a sweet potato soup shot with ginger and orange zest and garnished with crunchy, maple-glazed nuts and seeds. "A lot of my cooking is off the cuff," says McGovern, who doesn't use recipes. "I just look at what the farm has given me this week and think, 'How can I make this vegetable shine?'" Of course, McGovern also offers more than vegetables. In addition to meat, poultry, and game, he serves fish and seafood, but only what's caught from local waters. "I cook what's around, so don't offer salmon, which people can get anywhere—but just not here," he says. "e ocean is so big and there are so many great fish out there, like whiting and mackerel." Although originally from Chicago, McGov- ern grew up cooking on Martha's Vineyard One of the tastiest ways to counter winter's bone- chilling bite is to stir up a big batch of hearty homemade soup. Filled with all sorts of nourishing ingredients, these one-pot meals provide instant warmth, as well as deep, savor y satisfaction. To inspire you at the stove, four local chefs have each shared one of their favorite seasonal soup recipes to tuck into at lunch or dinner; pair them with a chunky salad and some hearty bread. In addition to a clam-packed chowder, there is a plush parsnip soup with crispy Italian sausage, a gooey Gruyère-topped onion soup, and a vegan sweet potato bisque made with coconut milk, not cream. All the recipes serve approximately six people, but if you make a double batch, you can freeze half to share later with friends, family, or just Old Man Winter. S O U P I N G R E D I E N T S 2 tbsp. Grape-seed oil (or other mild-tasting oil) 1 Shallot, peeled and diced 1 1/2 tbsp. Fresh minced ginger 2 Medium-sized carrots, trimmed, peeled, and diced 3 Medium-sized sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and diced 3 13.5-oz Cans unsweetened coconut milk 1/4 cup Honey 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract ⊲ Zest from 1 orange ⊲ Salt ⊲ Seed-nut granola (see recipe below) S O U P D I R E C T I O N S 1. Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the shallot, ginger, and carrots and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the ingredients soften. 2. Add the sweet potatoes and coconut milk and bring the mixture just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in the honey, vanilla, and orange zest. 3. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt to taste and garnish each serving with some seed-nut granola. S E E D - N U T G R A N O L A I N G R E D I E N T S 1/2 cup Raw pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp. Grape-seed oil (or other mild-tasting oil) ⊲ Pinch of salt 1/4 cup Chopped pecans 2 tbsp. Pine nuts 2 tbsp. Maple syrup G R A N O L A D I R E C T I O N S 1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 2. Toss the pumpkin seeds with the oil and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until the seeds are well coated. Transfer to a baking sheet, spreading out the seeds, and roast 10 minutes, or until puffed and golden. 3. Transfer the roasted seeds back to the medium bowl and combine with the pecans, pine nuts, and maple syrup. Scatter the mixture evenly on the same baking sheet and bake 5-8 minutes more, checking often, until the seed mix- ture is golden. Let it cool slightly before eating. Feather & Wedge's Sweet Potato Soup with Seed-Nut Granola (SERVES 6) and eventually got a job working on Frank Mc- Clelland's Apple Street Farm in Ipswich, which helped inform his style of cooking. "When you step out of the kitchen and develop a con- nection with the earth, you treat ingredients differently. You enhance them, instead of covering them up." featherandwedge.com Feather & Wedge chef Ryan McGovern likes to improvise when it comes to his soup creations.