Give Them Their Flowers (In Soup)

Spicy Squash Blossom Soup With Cashew Crema to End "Taco Soup"

New York Times Cooking killed me this week with a recipe for “taco soup.”

What is taco soup? The author describes it as: “A cozy mash-up of tacos and hearty chili, this soup fills the spot on those days when you're in need of a quick bowl of comfort. You can use a taco seasoning packet from the store.”

You know it.

This recipe totally calls for ground beef, cans-on-cans of diced green chiles, canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes, canned pinto beans, and canned black beans.

I have a message for NYT Cooking: We like to eat our tacos on a plate, not in a “mash-up” soup. This perpetuates the narrative that tacos or Mexican cuisine can be reduced to frozen and canned gut bombs. It is unnecessarily maximalist with a thousand toppings. But all Fresca readers already know that you don’t even need half of the ingredients to create a soul-satisfying late-summer soup that evokes some of Mexico’s revered flavors.

Mexico has the highest species diversity of squash (around 20 species), my country is also believed to be where squash originated. In Oaxaca, it’s the season for sopa de guías, a soup that utilizes all parts of the zucchini plant: fruit, flowers, and the most tender young vines (guías). In Vallarta, my mom makes a crema de flor de calabaza (cream of squash blossom soup) on the reg that is creamy and bright.

I wish I had access to guías (tender zucchini vines), but alas, most Mexican markets do have squash blossoms year-round. These are not lux farmers market seasonal ingredients, but rather just a part of our staple diet. Pick up a few bunches of blossoms to make this velvety soup that is quick and truly nourishing.

I cook onions, garlic, zucchini, jalapeños, and corn until tender and brown around the edges. I add half of the squash blossoms to give it a floral and subtle vegetal flavor that I personally find intoxicating. There is a quick cashew crema to thank for the rich and velvety mouthfeel in this soup—but the best part is that is made in just 20 minutes. I came up with this technique during my time developing recipes for Siete Foods and never looked back when I needed a quick plant-based crema that somehow lasts weeks sitting pretty in the fridge.

Respect tacos.

Make spicy squash blossom soup.

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Spicy Squash Blossom Soup With Cashew Crema

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews (about 4.5 ounces)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium zucchini (about 8 oz.), peeled, chopped
3 jalapeños, stemmed, halved lengthwise, seeded
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 5 oz.)
8 ounces squash blossoms (about 30 flowers), stemmed, stamens removed, divided
1¼ cups vegetable or chicken broth
Freshly ground black pepper

Step 1
In a small saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to a simmer. Add cashews and cook until soft, 20 minutes.

Step 2
Drain cashews (discard cooking liquid) and rinse well. Transfer cashews to a blender, add lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup fresh water, and purée on high until completely smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside. Reserve blender. (Makes about 2 cups cashew crema.)

Step 3
Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, jalapeños, and corn. Cook until vegetables start to brown around the edges, 10–15 minutes. Using tongs, remove jalapeños to a cutting board and reserve.

Step 4
Add half of the squash blossoms (about 15) to the pot, and cook until just starting to wilt, 30 seconds. Transfer vegetables to the reserved blender, add broth and half of the cashew crema. Purée on high until smooth, about 1 minute.

Step 5
Pour soup back into pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Season with 1½ teaspoons salt, and remove from heat. Taste and add more salt or cashew crema if needed; reserve the rest of the crema for serving.

Step 6
Thinly slice reserved jalapeños and cut the remaining squash blossoms in half; scatter them over the soup. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve with cashew crema for drizzling.

Note: I published a low-sodium version of this Squash Blossom Soup With Cashew Crema on Epicurious for their “Recipes for Cooking With Heart Health in Mind” feature. A big thanks to my editor, Maggie Hoffman, for letting me do this recipe and not asking me to do a taco soup! Viva la Mexicanidad.