The Hungry Cat's Chef David Lentz shares this recipe for a first course on the DineLA menu:
Kabocha Squash Soup with Squid
- 3 large onions
- 1 cup sliced garlic
- 3/4 cup sliced ginger
- zest of 3 oranges
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 5 large kabocha squash, peeled & seeded
- 2 Arbol Chile
- 1 bottle sherry
- 2.5 gallon chicken stock
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Sweat the onions, garlic, ginger, chili, and zest, seasoning as you go. Add the sugar and dissolve. Add the squash and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the sherry. Reduce until almost dry. Add the chicken stock and simmer for approximately 1 hour. Blend in blender, strain. Strain back into a pot. Note it may need to reduced a bit for thickness. Check seasoning.
Squid salad
- 3 oz cleaned squid (sliced in rings)
- Shiso leaf
- julienned mint
- julienned cilantro
- julienned fresno chili
- toasted peanuts
- togarashi
- lime juice
- white soy
- sliced scallion
Sear squid quickly in a hot pan, non-stick pan. Toss squid in a bowl with the salad of remaining ingredients. Note: it is better to make the salad too big than too small!
