This is the soup that I concocted last night
Curried Yam Soup
Ingredients:
3 Cups Vegetable Broth
4 Cups Filtered Water
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 or 2 tablespoons of each:
Minced Garlic
Minced Ginger Root
1 Medium Onion Chopped
1 Butternut Squash Peeled & Cubed
1 Large Yam Peeled & Cubed
1 can of Chick Peas
2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper (not flakes, but the wet kind found in a jar. Usually available in the ‘ethnic’ section)
1 Tbsp. Curry Powder
1 Tbsp. Honey
¼ Cup Half & Half
To taste:
Powdered Ginger
Salt
Pepper
3 Large leaves of Swiss Chard, cut into ribbons
Cooking Directions:
Combine broth and water in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. While broth is heating, cut and prepare ingredients. Once broth has come to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, gently add the cubed squash and yams. In a small frying pan, heat up the olive oil and add minced garlic, ginger, and onion. Sautee over medium/low heat only until onions soften and garlic is golden, being careful not to burn any of the ingredients. Add the onion, garlic, ginger mixture to the simmering pot. Be sure to include the oil from the pan, as well, which has now been infused with the delicious flavors of the seasonings. Now, add the entire can of chick peas, cover pot. Continue to simmer and occasionally stir until the yams and squash are softened, which can be determined by sticking a fork through a few different pieces. This shouldn’t take too long, maybe 10 or 15 more minutes from this point. Once ingredients are softened, stir in red pepper, curry powder, salt, pepper, powdered ginger, and honey, and continue to heat for another minute before turning off heat. At this point, the soup can be pureed either using an emersion blender, or by ladling it into a large food processor. If your kitchen lacks either of these pieces of equipment, a potato masher can be used in a pinch, with a little more time and elbow grease. . Leaving aside a few cups of unprocessed soup, and mixing it back into the pureed portion creates an interesting and heartier texture. Before pureeing, add half & half to soup. Once pureed, mix the blended and unblended portions of the soup together back in the large pot. Finally, add the ribbons of chard to the soup and reheat at a low temp for another 10 minutes, until chard has softened.
Voila! Serve with a thick slice of buttered, toasted whole grain bread for dipping and dunking. This soup would also be delicious served with a helping of basmati rice and a salad.
Devour! Try not to let the soup dribble through your widening smile of gratitude. :)
Ingredients:
3 Cups Vegetable Broth
4 Cups Filtered Water
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 or 2 tablespoons of each:
Minced Garlic
Minced Ginger Root
1 Medium Onion Chopped
1 Butternut Squash Peeled & Cubed
1 Large Yam Peeled & Cubed
1 can of Chick Peas
2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper (not flakes, but the wet kind found in a jar. Usually available in the ‘ethnic’ section)
1 Tbsp. Curry Powder
1 Tbsp. Honey
¼ Cup Half & Half
To taste:
Powdered Ginger
Salt
Pepper
3 Large leaves of Swiss Chard, cut into ribbons
Cooking Directions:
Combine broth and water in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. While broth is heating, cut and prepare ingredients. Once broth has come to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, gently add the cubed squash and yams. In a small frying pan, heat up the olive oil and add minced garlic, ginger, and onion. Sautee over medium/low heat only until onions soften and garlic is golden, being careful not to burn any of the ingredients. Add the onion, garlic, ginger mixture to the simmering pot. Be sure to include the oil from the pan, as well, which has now been infused with the delicious flavors of the seasonings. Now, add the entire can of chick peas, cover pot. Continue to simmer and occasionally stir until the yams and squash are softened, which can be determined by sticking a fork through a few different pieces. This shouldn’t take too long, maybe 10 or 15 more minutes from this point. Once ingredients are softened, stir in red pepper, curry powder, salt, pepper, powdered ginger, and honey, and continue to heat for another minute before turning off heat. At this point, the soup can be pureed either using an emersion blender, or by ladling it into a large food processor. If your kitchen lacks either of these pieces of equipment, a potato masher can be used in a pinch, with a little more time and elbow grease. . Leaving aside a few cups of unprocessed soup, and mixing it back into the pureed portion creates an interesting and heartier texture. Before pureeing, add half & half to soup. Once pureed, mix the blended and unblended portions of the soup together back in the large pot. Finally, add the ribbons of chard to the soup and reheat at a low temp for another 10 minutes, until chard has softened.
Voila! Serve with a thick slice of buttered, toasted whole grain bread for dipping and dunking. This soup would also be delicious served with a helping of basmati rice and a salad.
Devour! Try not to let the soup dribble through your widening smile of gratitude. :)