Curried Vegetable Soup

This week was the first week of no veggie pickup since June. I have to be honest here and say that I was kind of relieved. I have been feeling overwhelmed lately with all the veggies that have been piling up and with the very little energy I have for dealing with them, so this is a welcome break. I'm sure I'll be whining about how I miss my copious amounts of veggies in a few weeks, but lucky for me, we're signed up for the 100lbs for $100, which we pick up right before Thanksgiving!

I've been mulling around the idea of a curried vegetable soup or stew for the past couple of weeks, and I've been researching online and looking through my cookbooks for recipes. Shockingly, it was hard to find a recipe that didn't call for things like lemongrass (not part of my farm share) or tomatoes, and most of the recipes online received lukewarm reviews. I decided it was time to take things into my own hands, and, educated with having read through twenty or so different stew and soup recipes with curry, I dove in. This soup is warm, hearty, and a little spicy. It's perfect for the chilly weather we've been dealt this week, and I love meals that incorporate almost every vegetable I have lying around the kitchen/stored in the basement. I'd like to stress that this should be a viewed as a loose recipe ...if you don't have turnips, use carrots. No broccoli? Maybe cauliflower or chunks of cabbage. Don't stress. Just pull out whatever you have and throw it in.

Recipe: Curried Vegetable Soup

serves 4-6

You'll need:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 leek, white part only, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2lb Yukon gold potatoes, washed, quartered and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small head broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 Tbsp yellow curry
• ¾ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground mustard
• 4 cups veggie or chicken broth 2-3 cups water salt, to taste

Heat butter and olive oil in large pot. Saute garlic, onion, leek, green pepper and parsnip, until veggies begin to soften. Add cumin, curry, turmeric, mustard and stir. Add potatoes and broccoli. Add broth and water. Turn up heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for approx 20 min, or until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Add salt, to taste.