Fall Harvest Soup

By Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff, The Sephardic Spice Girls

This hearty harvest vegetable soup is perfect for days that have you craving a warm, comforting soup. The first step of the recipe—roasting all the vegetables on a sheet pan enhances flavor by caramelizing their natural sugars, which creates a deeper, sweeter taste. We layered tons of root veggies—butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnip— with aromatics like leek, onions, garlic, tomatoes, sage and thyme. We seasoned with olive oil, turmeric, Himalayan pink salt, freshly ground black pepper and a generous drizzle of honey.

After the vegetables were roasted to caramelized, deep earthy perfection, we puréed this perfect base with vegetable broth to create a silky, smooth, creamy copper-colored soup with perfectly rich flavor and aroma.

Fall Harvest Soup

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium butternut squash,
peeled, seeded and diced
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced

4 large Mexican squash

1 large onion, cut into wedges

8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 cups vegetable broth or water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Drizzle half the oil over a large parchment lined baking sheet. Then arrange all the vegetables on the tray.
3. Drizzle the vegetables with the remaining oil and the honey. Then sprinkle with paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
5. In a large pot, add the roasted vegetables and 1 cup of broth and blend all the ingredients using an immersion blender.
6. Place pot over low heat, add the remaining broth and stir well until the soup is a smooth consistency. Taste soup and add salt and pepper, if desired.
7. Cover pot and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.

The Sephardic Spice Girls, Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff, have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Visit sephardicspicegirls.com to see more of their Sephardic recipes with a modern twist!

Submitted by Sharsheret: The Jewish Breast and Ovarian Cancer Community, a national non-profit organization that provides free and confidential genetic and mental health counseling, emotional support, financial assistance, and life-saving education to women, men and families of all backgrounds facing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or at elevated hereditary risk. Visit sharsheret.org for more information.