My soup is an adaptation of the recipe in the book titled "Stewed Root Vegetables with Moroccan Spices" - the original is meant to be served over rice and isn't as much of a soup…. but I started making this as a soup & it's my personal favorite.
The ingredient list may look a bit daunting, trust me when I say it's worth the effort… and unless you have a big group to eat it you'll have leftovers. You'll need a very large stock pot, and a very large crock pot - if you only have the typical sized ones I suggest cutting the recipe in half. You'll also need a Mortar & Pestle or some other means of grinding whole spices.
Ingredients, in order of appearance:
1 Tbl Cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp ground Turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Cayenne
Spray Olive Oil
2 large Yellow Onions, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 pound Turnips, peel on, cubed
1/2 pound (8 oz) Parsnips, peel on, cubed
1/2 pound Carrots, peel on, sliced
1/2 pound Yellow or Red Potatoes, peel on, cubed
1 1/2 pounds Butternut Squash, peeled & seeded, cubed
2 medium Fennel Bulbs, chopped
3/4 pounds (12 oz) Tomatillos, husked, quartered
2/3 cup Raisins
2 Jalapeño peppers, seeded, diced
3 Tbl fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
4 cups Vegetable Broth
(I use 4 cups water + 4 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable)
Like with many of my recipes I sometimes vary the ingredients a little… so feel free to substitute...
In a small saucepan toast the Cumin seeds until they start releasing their fragrance… if it starts to smoke you've toasted more than needed but it will still be ok (I know, it's happened to me)…
Grind the Cumin seeds in a Mortar & Pestle, transfer to a small bowl. Add the Sea Salt, Turmeric, Cinnamon, and Cayenne, mix together and keep to the side.
Spray a large Stock Pot with Olive Oil, add the Onions and sauté until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic and sauté a couple minutes more.
Add the dry spices, stir in well & allow to warm for a minute.
Add in vegetables, everything from Turnips to Tomatillos in the list above, stir well so that the vegetables are coated with the spices.
Add in the remainder of the ingredients, stir. Note: at this time it will seem that there is not enough broth, there is enough (trust me), the vegetables will release a bit of moisture as they cook.
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then lower to a simmer & cover. You may want to use a potato masher to push the vegetables down into the broth. Allow to simmer for an extensive time, 45-60 minutes or so, stirring every 5-10 minutes (and pushing down as needed).
As soon as the vegetables are all tender it's ready to eat… but I like to let it "stew" even longer. So at this point I transfer it into the Crock Pot, set to Low, and allow it to slow cook & continue to develop it's flavor until we're ready for dinner. I'll typically start this at lunch time so we'll have a no-fuss dinner ready whenever we are.
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