Even if you don’t think you have a good food story to tell, we bet your cultural background does. That’s why we’re challenging some of our favorite home cooks to create a dish that incorporates all aspects of their cultural background. Today, Lara, our ever-creative Canadian correspondent, with this dish perfect for the day after the first fall frost.
I find this soup is a nice cultural representation of both sides of my family. The potatoes are quintessentially Irish—a nod to my clan—while the curry is a nice ode to my Dad, who’s from Chennai (formerly known as Madras).
I had a head of cauliflower that wasn’t going to make it another day, so I turned it into a curried potato and cauliflower soup. This is inspired by one of my favourite Indian dishes, Aloo Gobi. It warms you up and is full of cold-fighting ingredients.
Curried Potato and Cauliflower Soup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 medium potatoes, diced
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon madras curry paste
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes until the veggies just start to soften. Add the cauliflower, garlic, ginger, and spices and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add the stock and bay leaves, bring to a simmer, and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat, puree with a hand blender, and add salt and pepper to taste. If you want to make it a bit more special, add a dollop of yogurt and some fresh coriander.
[Ed. note: if you don't have a hand blender/stick mixer, allow the soup to cool slightly before running it through your blender or food processor in batches.]
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i love this! some girlfriends and i are having a “foods of our lands” dinner party next month. i’m a euromutt so i get to make whatever i want, basically…but a mash-up hadn’t occurred to me…
Ah, there’s so many possibilities!! Especially now that it’s time for good winter stews.