Taste of Autumn Curried Lamb Stew

The soup I posted earlier was a variation of one I'd seen in a book I love (see that post if you like), but this soup came right out of my own twisted mind…  This is makes about 3 quarts, adjust to the size of your Crock Pot.

I'd been in a bread baking mood yesterday, shown here are two of the three loaves I made… the one in the back of this photo has sweet curry & saffron & orange zest, so I thought I'd make a stew that would work well with it… this is what I came up with & it's a winner!!  It's also very simple to make, and cooks itself once the chopping gets done :)

Doesn't this bread just make you want soup?

Ingredients:
  1 pound Lamb Stew Meat
  1/4 cup young (inexpensive) Balsamic Vinegar
  1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
  1/2 medium Onion, chopped
  1 medium Cooking Apple, chopped (this time I used Honeycrisp)
  1 medium Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped
  1 medium Parsnip, chopped
  1 cup chopped Carrots
  1 stalk Celery, chopped
  1 cup cooked Pumpkin (optional)
  1 tsp Red Curry Paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
  1 Tbl Moroccan Spice (follow link to my spice blend)
  1 Tbl Sea Salt
  5 cups Water

Now comes the hard part… throw everything in a Crock Pot and let it cook all day...

Once its cooked all day (6-8 hours) it is ready to eat… just make sure you have some good bread on hand :)

Yum!!

Light Rustic Potato Leek Soup

I love cookbooks, I have way more than I need, and there's one called "Love Soup" by Anna Thomas that's a particular favorite.  I'm not a vegetarian but I appreciate vegetarian/vegan recipes because they frequently make interesting use of spices, and "Love Soup" is a vegetarian cookbook that I've enjoyed.  That said even vegetarian recipes can be fattening… so this recipe started with the recipe "rustic leek and potato soup" from "Love Soup", but then I changed it for my own needs.

Also, I happened to have a lot of Leeks, so in the picture you're going to see a huge soup pot & a lot larger quantity (2 1/2 times) what would normally go into a pot of soup…

Ingredients:

  Spray Olive Oil

  3-4 large Leeks, white and light green parts (12oz / 350g trimmed)

  3 cups Vegetable Broth 

      OR 3 cups Water + 3 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable

  2 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes

  1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

  3 Tbl chopped fresh Italian Parsley

  1/2 tsp chopped fresh Thyme

  2 tsp fresh Lemon Juice

  additional Sea Salt & fresh ground Black Pepper, to taste

Spray a soup pot with Olive Oil.  Add the chopped Leeks and cook on a high flame.

Cook the Leeks, stirring continuously, until they are translucent and just starting to turn gold.

When Leeks are cooked add the Vegetable Broth, continue to leave on a high flame.

Add Potatoes and Sea Salt, bring to a Boil then lower to a Simmer, cover.

Simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in Parsley, Thyme, and Lemon Juice, add Sea Salt & Pepper to taste.

To vary this try adding in a diced up boneless/skinless Chicken Breast, or a cup of grated Carrots, or both… we've tried all these variations & liked them all!