The flavorful way to beat a cold snap, cook with curry. This will definately warm you up from the inside out. A good curry spice mix has a well rounded balance of flavors with a touch of heat!
Curry powder is more of a generic term for a blend of different spices. As with many things, curry powder can have more spices added to the mixture, to suit your the taste. Most recipes and producers of curry powder usually include; coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek (like clover), and red pepper in their blends. Depending on country origin, the curry recipe may also include additional ingredients such as ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fennel seed, caraway, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg, long pepper, and black pepper may also be added.
Curry Spinach Bean Soup
Makes 6 servings
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Italian sausage links, hot or sweet, removed from casing
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes, more if you like it spicy
1 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups baby spinach, washed, dried and chopped
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Pre heat a large soup or saucepot to a medium heat. Add olive oil, sausage meat, onion, carrot, garlic, hot pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until the sausage is light brown and vegetables are tender. Add the potato, tomato sauce, broth, thyme, curry and beans. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer, cover and cook about 30 minutes. Puree one half of soup in food processor. Return pureed soup back to soup pot.
Bring soup back to a boil, turn down to a simmer and add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Add pepper to taste, serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
