Remember when your mother told you “This is pneumonia weather?” Fall in particular  is the  season to start eating lots of hearty vegetables, which fortify our bodies against colds and flu. There’s  nothing  better to  brighten  a  gray  fall  day  than a hot bowl of soup, hopefully made with fresh vegetables from your own garden. My grandmother Muddie loved fixing soups and stews and always told us that at this time of year, weather is unpredictable and we needed to eat foods that “stick to our ribs.”

If you didn’t plant a vegetable garden last summer, or haven’t discovered your local farmer’s market, plenty of commercial supermarkets sell organic vegetables.  Wonderful vegetable soups will fill you up completely. Soups are great, because they can last refrigerated for several days. Although they are time-consuming to make, once they are done they can be easily heated. They taste even better a few days later, or you can freeze them.

When you add a whole grain roll, or a bran, or corn muffin, you’ll be completely satisfied.  I love a Garden Vegetable Soup, made with a tomato base. Tomatoes are rich in minerals and have Licopene,  an antioxidant that boosts the immune system and helps to fight cancer. If you  want  meat for protein, you can add pan-broiled chicken, turkey, beef or lamb, or the put them to the side over some couscous. If you are a vegetarian, after the soup is done, cube some tofu to put on the top and get your protein that way.

This recipe will feed  8-10 people, is nourishing and can also be frozen for up to a month.

INGREDIENTS:

1 head of fresh garlic (chopped)

¼ cup each of fresh bay leaves, basil, oregano (finely chopped)

½ tbs of Kosher sea salt (to taste)

¼ tsp of cayenne pepper (to taste)

5 lbs tomatoes (Italian or vine-ripened and skinned)

½ lb string beans (halved with ends cut off)

½ lb sweet potatoes (wedged)

¼ lb Yukon gold potatoes (diced)

2 yellow peppers ( quartered first and then halved)

1 large zucchini (seeded and sliced into one-inch pieces)

1 large yellow squash (seeded and sliced into one-inch pieces)

1small acorn squash (seeded and diced)

1 large red onion (skinned and quartered)

1 lb baby carrots (washed)

1 fistful of fresh kale, leaves stripped from stems (for garnishing)

¼ lb small cap mushrooms (washed thoroughly and halved)

Two ears of fresh corn (sliced from cob)

¼ cup virgin olive oil

4 cubes of vegetable bouillon

1 1/2 cups of spring water

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Thoroughly wash  tomatoes and pull off all vines and leaves.

Place them in a Dutch oven coated with olive oil, and cover with foil. Roast for 35 minutes (about the time needed to prep the other vegetables.)  I like to have all of my vegetables washed and prepped before I start assembling the soup.

While tomatoes are roasting, wash and prepare vegetables in the following fashion:

Skin both sets of the potatoes. Dice Yukon gold potatoes to one square inch and set to the side. Slice the sweet potatoes into thick wedges. Quarter them first and split the quarters in half. The sweet potatoes are one of the keys to making this soup unique.

Gently toss garlic on moderate heat, careful not to burn. Slowly add in this order – onions, peppers, string beans, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, corn, all the squash, Yukon gold potatoes and fresh herbs. Simmer until vegetables are nearly soft.  Then add skinned tomatoes, water and bouillon. Simmer and stir until vegetables have softened and assimilated.

Serve garnished with  leafy  kale, and a side plate of muffins, garlic bread or whole grain toast.

Related posts:

1. Fall for greens
2. Red hot vegetables