Acorn squash and leek soup

This is a great time of the year to sit by the fire-place with a large bowl of a warm, hearty soup. Root vegetables and squashes are versatile ingredients to make soups with. A lot of flavors and aromatics work very well with them. This recipe makes use of one of my favorite types of squash - acorn squash. The leeks add a great depth of flavor and the ginger in the soup adds a really nice spicy note. I tend to add any leftover vegetables I have in my fridge into soups and in this recipe, I have used carrot, beet root and onion. This soup is vegan because I have used a small amount of coconut milk to make it creamy but heavy cream can also be used. A big bowl of this soup with a thick slice of toasted crusty bread is heavenly!

Serves: 4, Prep. time: 15 minutes, cook time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion

• 2 medium leeks, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped

• 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped

• 1 small beet, roughly chopped

• 2 medium white potatoes, roughly chopped

• 1 large acorn squash, peeled, de-seeded and roughly chopped (about 3 cups)

• 1 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped

• salt

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

• 3 cups water or vegetable stock

• parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare all the vegetables needed. Make sure leeks are thoroughly washed because they tend to have soil trapped in their layers. You can use the white as well as the green parts of the leek. Avoid any tough green parts.

2. Place a large pot on medium heat and add olive oil. To that, add the onions and leeks along with a pinch of salt. Cook until onions and leeks start sweating and turn tender.

3. To that, add the beets, carrots, potatoes and squash (Tip: Beets and carrots take longer to cook than potatoes or squash. Try to chop the beets and carrots in smaller pieces so they cook faster. So, if the potatoes and squash are diced into 1 inch cubes, chop the beets and carrots into 1/2 inch cubes). Also add the chopped ginger.

4. Add the other dry seasonings. Add salt to taste and stir everything together.

5. Next, add the coconut milk and water, mix well and put a lid on the pot.

6. Let the pot simmer on medium heat with lid on until all the vegetables are thoroughly cooked (will take about 30 minutes).

7. After all the vegetables are tender, turn off heat and let the pot rest with the lid on for 5 minutes. Then, remove the lid and using an immersion blender, blend everything inside the pot till it reaches a smooth, creamy consistency. Alternatively, you can also add everything to a heat resistant blender and blend until smooth.

8. Garnish soup with some parsley leaves and serve with a thick slice of toasted crusty bread, bread sticks or crackers.

Notes: The color of the soup will depend on the vegetables used. The deep red color of the beets and the intense green from the leeks gives this soup a brown tinge. For a more vibrant color, stick to carrots, squash and white potatoes. You can use more carrots for an intense orange color, or use some turmeric powder to enhance the look. Whatever the color of the soup, it will taste just as delicious.