a little gypsy soup for the soul

I am not going to lie, my transition back to work has been rough.  I am still a little sleep deprived, and maybe a little homesick as well.  It’s amazing that you can still get homesick in your late twenties.  It doesn’t matter where I am in life, whenever I go home I always have a hard time getting back to reality. Maybe it’s the great food my mom and dad cook, or maybe the smell of my old bedroom, whatever the reason, I always have difficulty leaving home.  However, being back at work reminds me of why I left home in the first place.  Working at the farm has been the biggest challenge of my twenties.  I have proven to myself that hard work pays off, and eating well has never been so important. I have not only had the chance to meet my farmer, I am the farmer.  And that feels really good.

Tonight, after a long day of pruning apple trees, I wanted to make something out of my new cookbook! That cookbook being my recipe party cookbook. Taylor’s amazing Aunt Ellie had a recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook.  Gypsy Soup.  It sounded warm, hearty, and comforting.  Just what I needed.

So what did I do?  I got busy in the kitchen!  First up, the recipe card….

Then the chopping……

Then the sauteing……

And then I waited………

Until this beauty was ready:

With a side of goat cheese crostini.  Perfection!

Taylor and I enjoyed our meal with a glass of red wine.

Recipe for Gypsy Soup:

3-4 tbs olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 cup celery, chopped

2 cups chopped and peeled sweet potatoes.

1 cup shopped fresh tomatoes (or canned)

3/4 cup chopped sweet peppers

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

3 cups stock or water (I used chicken stock)

Seasoning:

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp basil

1 tsp salt

dash of cinnamon

dash of cayenne

1 bay leat

1 tbs of tamari

Instructions:

if you use raw chickpeas begin soaking them 3/1/2 hours before soup time.  Including 1 1/2 hours for them to cook. OR USE CANNED CHICKPEAS (I DID!)

In a soup kettle saute onions, garlic, celery, and sweet potatoes. in olive oil for 5 minutes.

Add seasonings (except tamari) and the stock or water

simmer covered for 15 minutes.

Add remaining vegetables and chick peas.  Simmer another 10 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender as you like.

Add tamari at the end.

Enjoy!!!!