Sweet Potato Celery Bisque

I just got back from a lovely vacation to Kufri,where all I did was eat, trek, hike, and eat some more. The butter on my paranthas will come back to haunt me, I just know it. So I started eating healthy and light, and found some wonderful gems to support my mission.

This healthy, filling, flavourful bisque is very, very loosely adapted from this recipe, which I have used more for an idea guideline. I always wanted to try out a vegetarian bisque. The beauty of this is its minimal ingredients, and ease of cooking.

Servings: 4
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 12-15 mins.




Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly
1 medium firm, slightly ripe apple, chopped, with skin on (I used Granny Smith here)
1 small celery bunch, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, as needed
black peppercorns, coarsely ground, 1 teaspoon
Water, about 1 and half cups.
1 tablespoon grated sharp cheddar cheese

Method:
In a deep pan, add the olive oil and onions and slightly sauté.
Add the sweet potatoes, apples, and a pinch of salt. cover and cook for about 2 mins on a medium flame
Add the celery, and cover for another minute.
Add the water, cover, and boil for about 10 mins on high.
Once cool, purée with a hand blender (or in a mixer/food processor), but not too smooth.
Add salt, pepper (I like mine hot so I used more pepper here), and more water if needed.
Serve warm with grate cheese on top.

Yellow Pumpkin Soup

Before I got married, I would subsist on soup. Every. Single. Night. Many thanks to Kanchan who made me relive those days. The days where I didn't need to keep stressing on the importance of vegetables, because I would get enough. And to emphasize how awesome a simple bowl of colored goop can be, I start here a soup series.

Soups are the most innovative way to eat vegetables, according to me. They cook enough so that the texture is not a bother, while retaining all the essential components. And the possibilities of experimentation are virtually endless.

This is the easiest, most flavorful and tasty variant I have ever made.

Serves 3-4. Preparation/Cooking time - 20 mins

Ingredients

1) Yellow/Red Pumpkins - about half a kg, or 1 1/2 pounds (You can use any species that belongs to the colored pumpkin family - squash, butternut squash, anything, as long as it is fresh)

2) Salt

3) 2 Bay Leaves

4) Red Chilly flakes - 2 large pinches

5) Coarsely ground black pepper - 1 large pinch

6) Chopped parsley - 1 large tablespoon

7) Saffron strands - a pinch

8) Yogurt (plain) - beaten (optional) - 1/2 tablespoon per cup

9) Toasted pumpkin seeds - optional.

Procedure:

1) Take the skin off the pumpkin - easiest way to to this is to cut the pumpkin into 12-16 pieces, skin and all, and slash off the skin with a knife. Steam the pumpkin in a CLOSED container - a cooker makes the most sense. Add a little salt and the bay leaves to the cooker to steam.

2) Once the pumpkin is cooked, puree the pieces into a smooth paste (after discarding the bay leaves).

3) Dilute with vegetable stock/water, add the chilly flakes and pepper and bring to a boil (on a low flame).

4) Add the saffron when the soup starts boiling.

5) Add 3/4 of the parsley and turn off the heat 5 minutes after doing so.

6) Garnish with a pinch of fresh parsley, a yogurt swirl, and the pumpkin seeds.

I like eating this with a slice of toasted brown bread with olive oil dribbled over it. Yumm!!

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone for the simplicity and freedom to experiment!!! I tried quite a few tricks before, but the following is the simplest and yummiest so far:

Ingredients:
Any of the following veggies:
Beans
Carrots
Peas
Potato
Pumpkin (squash)
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Brussell sprouts
Golden corn
Zuccini

You can use JUST about anything here!!!

Required:
Onions (1 large)
Garlic 3-4 cloves
Oregano + Rosemary + Basil
Pepper (I prefer white, but blacks ok)
One tbsp olive oil
Lots of water.

Procedure:

a) Preparing vegetables

1) I prefer all veggies fresh
2) cut viggies into tiny pieces, and for every one cup of veggies add 11/2 cups water.
3) microwave in high for 25 mins.
4) after 25 mins, drain the water and keep aside (STOCK)
5) now add 1/2 cup water for 1 cup veggies n microwave on high for 15 mins. Mash with a potato masher, but NOT fine.

b)Preparing soup:

1) Heat olive oil and add chopped garlic. when it just changes color add onions.
2) When onions change color add stock.
3) Boil for about 10 mins on medium flame.
4) Add semi-mashed veggies
5) simmer for about half an hour
6) Add salt ( I prefer sea-salt myself), the herbs and pepper.
7) Seve with grated cheese (optional)