Gypsy Soup

Adapted from the Yellow House; originally from Mollie Katzen’s The New Moosewood Cookbook

Serves 8-10; you can cut the recipe in half if you think this will be too much, but I appreciate a batch of soup that will last me a while. You can also freeze the soup, just see below in the directions…

4 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 medium yellow onions, chopped coarsely

6 stalks celery, chopped

8 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, diced

1 large sweet potato (or winter squash), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

2 large carrots, sliced into thin coins or roughly chopped

2 small zucchini, chopped

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

2 cans chickpeas (the original recipe uses about 3 cans)

5 cups liquid (I used 4 cups water + 1 cup veg. broth)

3 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons turmeric

4 teaspoons mild paprika

1 bay leaf

Dash of cayenne

1 pound greens (I used a mixture of kale and mustard greens), trimmed and, if large, cut into 2-inch-wide pieces

Parmesan or Asiago cheese + crumbled feta, for topping (or any other yummy salty cheese)

Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Directions

In your biggest pot, heat the olive oil. Saute the onions, garlic, celery, and jalapeno until aromatic and beginning to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add the sweet potato and carrots and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or so. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, chickpeas, broth/water, salt, turmeric, paprika, bay leaf, and cayenne. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer, stirring occasionally until sweet potato and carrots are tender. Stir in the greens, allowing to wilt before removing the soup from the heat.

Serve with a good dusting of cheese and a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

To freeze the soup, allow to cool completely. Ladle into gallon-size freezer bags. Seal, smoothing out any air pockets, and lay flat in the freezer to store.