Singin' the Pesach Blues

Blogosphere, I have been sadly remiss in not posting during Pesach. I'll be honest - I don't have good Pesach recipes. I talk a good game, but in reality I roast five chickens for second night Seder and then live off of chicken soup, matzoh, spinach, fruit and cheese (obviously not all together) for the rest of the week. My friend Lilly wants to make matzoh ball soup and roast chicken tonight, so I will try to post that this evening. However, if you have inspiration for good Pesach recipes that I've been missing, I would appreciate them!

How to Cook Out of the Pantry

There are points in my life where I find myself with random pantry items in need of use, and last night was one of these times.

I had just finished making Comfort Food Risotto with some leftover mushrooms, shredded carrots, baby spinach, and fresh ricotta (left over from a brunch I hosted the weekend before), and I had about 3 cups of leftover vegetable broth.

And half an onion.

And two sorry-looking, slightly mealy apples.

And so I got to thinking. What could I make with those three ingredients (broth, onion, mealy apples) that wouldn't involve going to the store (this all the more important because an accident on the main drag had reduced my neighborhood to a parking lot). I took a page from one of my favorite bloggers, Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks, and looked through my pantry to see what was to be had. Deep in the back, on the highest shelf, I hit the jackpot - two cans of Libby's Solid Pack Pumpkin. I scrounged around on another shelf and found a can of light coconut milk, and my recipe idea was shaped - a slightly curried pumpkin soup, all of whose ingredients came from the pantry or from the depths of the root vegetable drawer of the fridge.

As a busy student (and before that, a busy professional) who is nonetheless committed to cooking for herself regularly, having a well-stocked pantry is really essential, because I grocery shop once a week in a good week, and sometimes less than that.

At the same time, I have limited pantry shelf space, so prioritizing what to have available becomes important - it can be the difference between eating a healthy meal made at home (saving money!) and ordering pizza. I'm going to work on a comprehensive list of my essential pantry items and post it next week (as we are gearing up for Pesach, when 90% of said essential pantry items will be living in a box in the storage closet for the week), but in the meantime, the recipe:

Slightly Curried Hurried Pumpkin Soup (pareve)
1 tbsn olive oil
1/2 medium onion in 1/2" dice
2 large apples, peeled and cored, in 1/2" dice
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and in 1/2" dice
2 small cans plain pumpkin
1 can light coconut milk
3 c. vegetable stock
2 canfuls (probably about 4 cups) water
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2/3 c. honey

1. In the bottom of a medium stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Add the apple and the potatoes and cook until the onions are beginning to turn golden and the apple and potatoes are starting to get soft.
2. Add pumpkin, coconut milk, stock and water. Stir, then bring to a boil.
3. Add spices and honey, then reduce to a simmer and let simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it looks too thick, add more water.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 minutes. If you have an immersion blender (a glorious tool, indeed), puree the soup in the pot. If not, you can either cool the soup further and put it in your real blender/food processor, OR you can use a potato masher to break up the apple and potato pieces at the bottom of the soup to get it better blended and eat it slightly chunky.
5. Serve hot. This would be great with a large salad and a piece of bread spread with chevre.

On a side note, so long as the honey and broth were hechshered for Pesach, this would be a great Pesach-friendly recipe.

Enjoy!