Got Turnips? Ethiopian Stew

The Ethiopian Stew smells AMAZING!! I also love the vibrant coloring the spices give it. Oh - and it tastes good. Instead of doing the puree step at the end, you could also simmer off some of the liquid a bit more and then serve it over brown rice.

Here's the original recipe that I adapted.

I did not have leeks, several of the seasonings listed in the berbere mix, soymilk or vegetable stock (which I usually do I have - I make my own using this technique-love it!), so I adjusted accordingly.




My berbere mix included:

3/4 TBS of cinnamon
1 TBS paprika
a few dashes of cayenne
1 heaping TBS of turmeric
3/4 TBS of curry (all I had left)
several dashes of black pepper a few dashes of cumin

I had planned to include rutabaga, but the 3 turnips I chopped looked like enough. So, here's what I did (with ingredients in bold).

Sauteed 1/2 onion (diced) in peanut oil (in a large pot)
Added the berbere mix. I added all of the berbere mix that I made and didn't think it was too much.
Added 3 chopped turnips and 2 diced carrots.
Covered with free range, organic chicken stock. (Probably 4-5 cups)
Added 1 can of garbanzo beans (drained well).
Simmered for about 20 minutes.
Then I took about 1 1/2 cups of the soup out to puree in a blender (I added a little bit of chicken stock to what I was pureeing as the stock and boiled down a lot).
Poured the puree back in with the soup and added 1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used a Greek yogurt. This was my soymilk substitute). (When grabbing the yogurt, I also saw some Trader Joe's Masala Simmering Sauce that had been hiding in the fridge, so I added 1 TBS of that just for kicks).

Feel free to add a dollop of yogurt or sour cream on top just before you eat.














Special note: DON'T BE AFRAID OF TURNIPS!! I used to be, but got over it and now enjoy all the root vegetables that winter brings.

Roasted Carrot Soup

Another vegetarian gem -- and this one I created purely on my own, no other recipes consulted or adjusted or used as inspiration. Instead, the inspiration was the veggies!

Ingredients

• Carrots, three sliced for roasting
• 1 Potato, cubed
• 2 small turnips, cubed (if you don't have turnips or don't want to use them, you could probably add another potato and an additional carrot or two)
• 2 shallots, diced
  
• Vegetable stock or broth (1/2-1 quart, depending on how thick you want it)
• Cumin
• Olive Oil
• Curry powder
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Slice carrots for roasting - once sliced, place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle salt, pepper and cumin (toss to coat evenly)
2. Roast at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes (start checking it at 15)
3. While the carrots are roasting, chop the other ingredients
4. Sautee shallots in olive oil (for about 5 minutes)
5. Add potatoes and turnips and cover with vegetable stock/broth - I only had 1/2 quart of stock, so it ended up being a thick puree, but I found I really liked it that way.
6. Cook until tender (typically about 15)
7. Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender (I use a blender, since I don't have a food processor) and puree. (You may need to stop and stir it around a bit to get everything to puree evenly). I recommend adding a bit more cumin as well as some curry powder during the puree process (I just add a little at a time and taste, instead of measuring).
8. Enjoy!

As you can see from my blog, I'm really getting into soups. They are easy and a great way to use a variety of vegetables (I had never used turnips before) and you can get several meals out of one batch or freeze some for later. This makes soups great for a new mom like me.

Coming soon -- my first attempt at making curry/Indian food and a blog about stock - making your own and store bought.