The cliché start to any soup blog in October is always the same. It begins with some form of “it's that time of year again” or “the chill is out so get your ladle out.” All are as ubiquitous as the abundance of pumpkin spice everything. The truth is though this is the perfect time of year for great soups. You are finishing up some of the last fresh ingredients from your garden or harvesting vegetables meant to be pulled now. If you are a food nerd and planner, you are batching cooking stock for your freezer so you might as well use some of that fresh stock now. And of course, warm soup is just so much better in those first truly brisk days of Autumn. So now that we have gotten that out of the way, let's get into some soup!
A couple years ago I received “The Soup Bible” as a gift, and I cannot recommend this book enough. I have several go-to favorites out of that cookbook but one that is perfect for this time of year is the Moroccan Vegetable Soup.
It's a wonderful blend of root vegetables with pumpkin and a nutritious stock with some warming spices that round out this delicious soup.
Moroccan Vegetable Soup
Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe
Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive or sunflower oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
8 ounces carrots chopped
8 ounces parsnips chopped
8 ounces pumpkin
About 3 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
For the garnish:
1/2 garlic clove finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
3 Tablespoons parsley
A good pinch of paprika
- Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and fry the onion for about 3 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the carrots and parsnips, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Peel and cut the pumpkin into chunks. Discard the seeds and pith and add into the pan, cook for another 5 minutes, then add the stock and season and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly, then puree with a blender or food processor.
- To make the garnish, heat the oil in a small pan and fry the garlic and herbs for 1-2 minutes.
- Adjust the seasoning of the soup and add lemon juice and garnish and swirl well.
So that is the recipe as stated from The Soup Bible. I have made this recipe before, and it is delightfully simple and delicious. I do have a few additions and suggestions that I have made since I first made this soup.
Pro tip: Try and buy local carrots and parsnips after the first frost of the year. It’s not enough to kill the plants but the cold does convert a lot of the starches into sugar, boosting the sweetness of the root veggies.
Recipe Changes and Notes:
- I chose to add in a one orange including the zest to provide a sweeter citrus boost in step 2.
- I added a Tablespoon of ground turmeric and 2 Tablespoons of garam masala.
- In the past, I have also substituted other veggies for butternut squash or sweet potatoes for the carrots and parsnips. You want a vegetable that has the same starchiness but has a mix of sweet and savory flavors when cooked and blended.
- I also made some garlic rosemary croutons out of a basic baguette for some flavor crunch to add some texture.
- A happy accident occurred as I “browned” the butter for the onions and the addition of the garam masala which turned my soup a more brown color. If you follow the recipe to the letter, the final product will look more yellow-orange.
- When plating this soup, sprinkle the fried garlic and herbs on top of the poured soup and gently swirl with a spoon to give it a textured look. Then add the croutons.
The cooler weather brings soups, stews and of course, football food. Join The Chopping Block for a Tailgating on the Patio class this Saturday, October 24 at 11am featuring this mouth-watering menu:
- Fire Roasted Corn and Jalapeño Dip
- Sirloin Sliders with Bacon and Blue Cheese Sauce
- Grilled Pizza with Bratwurst, Grilled Onions and Gruyere Cheese
- Honey-Sriracha Grilled Chicken-Pineapple Skewers
If you are interested in learning about how to make your own chicken stock our Owner/Chef Shelley Young has a video to assist you.
The cooler weather brings soups, stews and of course, football food. Join The Chopping Block for a Tailgating on the Patio class this Saturday, October 24 at 11am at Lincoln Square featuring this mouth-watering menu:
- Fire Roasted Corn and Jalapeño Dip
- Sirloin Sliders with Bacon and Blue Cheese Sauce
- Grilled Pizza with Bratwurst, Grilled Onions and Gruyere Cheese
- Honey-Sriracha Grilled Chicken-Pineapple Skewers
Moroccan Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 8 ounces carrots chopped
- 8 ounces parsnips chopped
- 8 ounces pumpkin
- About 3 ¾ cups vegetable or chicken stock
- Lemon juice to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ½ garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoon olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons Parsley
- A good pinch of paprika
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and fry the onion for about 3 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the carrots and parsnips, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Peel and cut the pumpkin into chunks. Discard the seeds and pith and add into the pan, cook for another 5 minutes, then add the stock and season and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly, then puree with a blender or food processor.
- To make the garnish, heat the oil in a small pan and fry the garlic and herbs for 1-2 minutes.
- Adjust the seasoning of the soup and add lemon juice and garnish and swirl well.
