The Market Report

Laura Avery chats with Jason Travi, chef-owner of Fraiche restaurant in Culver City. He is just opening Riva restaurant on Wilshire Blvd in between 3rd and 4th Street in Santa Monica. Winter squash soup is really popular this time of year at Fraiche. Travi tops his with cardamom-flavored marshmallows.

(adapted from a recipe by Evan Kleiman)

Roast whole squash in the oven at 375° to 400°F. With a knife, poke holes in the skin of the pumpkin/squash. Bake until flesh is soft (when pricked with a knife, the knife should slide easily through the skin and flesh.)

½ cup butter, browned in a gently warmed pan (careful not to burn the butter)

2 onions, peeled and diced

dash cinnamon

dash nutmeg

dash allspice

3 lbs winter squash peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (any variety except spaghetti squash)

Mushroom broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook onions in the browned butter until they starts to collapse and become soft. Add to a large stockpot. Pour enough broth to cover one-third of the pot's contents. Add spices and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot and bring it to a simmer.

Keep the pot covered and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. When the squash softens, it will have given up some of its water and you can see how much additional liquid to add, if any. Once everything is soft, mash the mixture with a potato masher or sturdy whisk. If it is very thick, add enough additional liquid to make a pleasing texture. Evan likes to put the soup through the coarse disk of a food mill. For a more elegant texture, puree the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Adjust the seasoning to your palate, and garnish the soup with cardamom marshmallows.

Cardamom Marshmallows

Recipe courtesy of Brownie Points blog

Music break: All Good by Zeroleen