Topinambour & Leek Soup with Turmeric, Ginger & Shrimp-Flavored Chili Flakes
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A simple soup this evening- but a pretty awesome one at that! Hot and spicy, colorful and terrific, this was ready in just 20 minutes and perfect for a speedy portion of comfort after a long day ending in a bad mood... There's no better way to soothe the beast than to fill his stomach!
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It only took a couple of spoonfuls to let the the troubles that the day brought with it fade away and only a couple more to have the evening filled with a warm, satisfied feeling instead! There are so many more things than mac and cheese that are really comforting on a cold, Autumn night- and plenty that are refreshingly different... like this here soup!
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Made from 2 large Topinambour roots, 1 leek, a handful of celery leaves, 1-2" of fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon of turmeric and a half teaspoon of shrimp-flavored chili flakes (from you local Asian supermarket), with a little drizzle of simple plain yogurt to make the heat of the chili more bearable... this was something different and new... and totally delicious!
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The ingredients here were totally basic, the preparation simple and free of any added fat at all- and the result so delicious that you will hopefully be as thrilled as I was! Less fat, more flavor- absolutely my favorite kind of meal!
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Preparation is really simple- rinse the leek and cut it into rings, peel the Topinambour and cut them into chunks- and as for those celery leaves- they can just go in there just as they are.
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Boil the ingredients in just enough water to cover them well, together with the turmeric and chili flakes, salt and pepper. Let them bubble away for 15 minutes on a low simmer- no fuss, no problems.
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Once the ingredients are nice and tender, either give them a whizz in a blender or food processor, or use an immersion mixer like I did until everything is nicely blended together. Of course you could go on mixing away for ages, or pass the soup through a sieve to get it perfectly smooth... but me? I prefer my soups to have a few little lumps and to be a bit more rustic and have little more character than to be pureed down into what looks like baby-food!
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That being said- you are bound to be everybody's baby if you make them this for supper! Serve piping hot with a drizzle of honey, a few more flakes of pepper and a leaf of celery as a garnish- pretty as a picture and tasty as can be!
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What a blast of color and flavor!
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