Harvest Vegetable Soup

In Colorado, we are currently getting hammered by an early snowstorm (20 inches and counting!), but in general the weather is still quite temperate this early in the season. So as far as soups go, I'm in the mood to celebrate fall but I'm not anxious to bring out the really hearty, heavy fall soups quite yet. Maybe in a couple weeks... so for early fall, this soup is a perfect balance. Fall flavors, but still very light. The soup starts out by cooking the squash, carrots, and onions with a little bit of oil, then the spices, then the liquids. All in all, very simple, and very fast. The whole thing takes less than an hour to prepare. My favorite part is the kale. It's not meaty, but the thickness of it works well with the carrots and squash.

RECIPE:
Harvest Vegetable Soup
adapted from Ellie Krieger, in Fine Cooking Oct-Nov 2009

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 lb of squash)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
pinch cayenne pepper (more to taste)
kosher salt
1 quart broth (veggie or chicken, I always try to use the no-salt or low-sodium variety)
1 14.5 can diced tomatoes (no-salt, if possible)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped kale (I used one whole medium bunch of kale, ribs removed)
1 cup canned or cooked chickpeas (no-salt, if possible)
2-4 cups of water
grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, and squash and cook until they begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for one minute more. Add the allspice, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. Then add the broth, tomatoes, and fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the kale and chickpeas and cook uncovered until the squash is tender and the kale has wilted, about 10 minutes. Depending on how you like your broth to vegetable ratio, add 2-4 cups of water to the broth. If you add water, simmer for about 5 minutes longer to let the flavors combine.Discard thyme sprigs, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  If you like, sprinkle each serving with grated Parmesan cheese.