one more thing about being nocturnal and then i will shut up: there is no real time to have a drink. i can't have one after work because that is breakfast time for the rest of town and the rest of town operates tractors, and i can't have one at night because i really would never be able to trust my tipsy self around a vat of caramel and twelve thousand peanut butter cookies.

so imagine my dismay when a bottle of soju arrived from north korea.

rob and hansaem bought it when they visited the korean dmz last month and i was so tickled to receive it but worried about when i'd get to crack into it. so this morning i just said screw that and had a sip and it was strong and that's all it took. the end.

(it was only really the end for like five minutes while i danced around my kitchen to iron & wine and composed a tipsy text to eggboy.)

and then i got down to business with this squash soup that i'm testing out for a dinner party in october in fargo and one thing lead to another and suddenly there was soju inside of the soup and i got all wide eyed like oh no what have i done! but then i tasted it and it tasted soooo gooooood. the soju added a really nice sweet and tangy element. i think i should start cooking with it more... especially because it will be the zombie apocalypse by the time i'd be able to finish drinking the entire bottle.

roasted squash soup with apples and soju

ingredients

2 butternut squash

6 tb olive oil

salt + pepper to taste

1 large onion

2 sweet apples (i like fuji)

2 tsp paprika

4 c chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 c soju

sage leaves for garnish

clues

preheat oven to 400. chop open the squash and remove the guts. brush with 2 tb olive oil and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. roast for an hour, or until the innards are soft.

while the squash is roasting, chop the onion and apples. set the apples aside and, in a large pot, heat the onion and remaining 4 tb olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft, about 15 minutes. add the paprika and cook for another two minutes. add the apples and 2 cups of broth and let simmer until the apples are soft. (the timing should work out so that the apples will be soft around the time that the squash innards are soft as well.)

when the squash is cooked through, carefully scoop out the insides and add them to the apple mixture. puree the entire mixture in a blender or food processor and then return it to the pot. stir in the remaining 2 cups of broth, the 1/4 cup of soju, and a couple good pinches of salt and pepper. bring it back to a boil for about 5 minutes.

garnish with a few sage leaves. enjoy with a glass of soju.

-yeh!