Gypsy Soup Variation

10 years ago I was subletting a small 2 story house in the Little Portugal area of Toronto. I was housesitting 2 French cats. I was working part-time through a temp agency and the time I had off I was working in the enclosed front garden, writing upstairs in the lavendar painted study, or trying my hand at new dishes in the kitchen. It was one of my first times living entirely alone and what I remember most about that summer was how much I loved that peaceful state of solitude. I still do.

I cooked the Gypsy Soup recipe out of Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook that summer and I now use it as the base idea to build on for a variety of fall soups that feature root vegetables. What I love about that recipe is her call for any orange vegetables (squashes, yams, and/or carrots) and any green vegetables (green beans, zucchini, chopped up chard/collard greens/spinach, sliced cabbage). The soup is in a tomato base (I used diced canned tomatoes but fresh chopped are also fine) that is built upon a garlic and onion mixture with spices - turmeric, cayenne, basil or thyme, paprika, bay leaves.

I started out cooking a butternut squash and a yam in the oven until they were cooked through but still firm. I prepared my onion/garlic base, added the spices, cubed the cooked squash and yam and added them, added a large can of diced tomatoes, and a few cups of water and brought everything to a boil and then turned it down to simmer for 1/2 hour. Before I ate the soup, I chopped up 1/2 head of collard greens into thin strips and added that into the soup and I opened a can of Thai green curry (the Aroy-D brand) which has coconut milk, bamboo shoots, basil leaves, red chilli, kaffir lime leaves, and green curry paste. It added the kick to the soup that I wanted without all the effort of procuring all those ingredients beforehand. I also add the Patak's jalapeno pickle as a dollop on top before eating.

I am not a left over fan. I never have been. I hate eating something that I already ate the day before. I've always been like that. I do not think that food tastes better the day after unless it's a soup or dal or stew that you cooked the day before and haven't yet tasted. I never bring left overs to work for lunch. That would depress me. I do not know why I have this intense aversion to left overs but I do. However, interestingly, when I make this soup - something about the flavours and the warmth of the curry, the coconut, the squash and yams - I can eat it for dinner 3 nights in a row.

Comments

[Herbert]

Great post! A very creative way to attract somebody to a sublet!

I took the liberty of linking to you from my blog on Toronto Apartment Rentals which can be seen at: http://www.mojacity.com/blogs/torontoapartmentrental/2007/03/subletting-basics.html

Keep up the great posts!

[Andy Richards]

Hey, great recipe! I would have liked a hint of eggplant in there though. If you ever need to sublet again?
http://www.simplerent.com