Sweet Potato Beet Apple Gypsy Soup

In the 90s I made a soup for Rosh Hashanah that I found in the Nutrition Action Newsletter, which I subscribed to for a time. I loved the soup but lost the recipe. I even went so far as to look at back issues online, but no luck. I think that's the only recipe I ever lost and longed for! It is a version of the Moosewood Gypsy Soup, I have since discovered.

I made it for Rosh Hashanah because of all the sweet ingredients: sweet potatoes, beets, ginger, and apples. It is super nutritious since it also has chickpeas.

Yael Kalman posted a similar Instant Pot version which I tweaked and I think this is now pretty close to the original.

It makes a giant pot of gorgeous color soup. The beets contribute their color to the collective; it's not as thick as lentil or split pea based soups. If you have Indian ginger-garlic paste, it saves some effort.

2 T oil (or butter if you don't mind it being dairy)
1 large onion, diced
2-3 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 t. ginger paste or finely grated fresh ginger
1 t. salt
1 t. paprika
1 t. cumin (ground)
½ t. turmeric
½ t. coriander
1 t. cinnamon
2 largish sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 or 2 peeled, chopped apples
2 or 3 peeled, chopped beets (you can now find these vacuum packed, a time saver - if you like beets, just use the whole package)

1 can chickpeas, drained
2 -3 whole carrots, diced
1 can chopped tomatoes (petite saves time)

optional: a few stems of chopped kale
6 cups vegetable stock (Telma/Israeli + hot water is fine)
Lemon and/or lime juice (about 2 T.)
brown sugar or agave -  about 1 T

hot siracha or other heat, optional
Parsley or cilantro for garnish


In a large soup pot, heat the oil and saute the onions, garlic, celery, and ginger until soft and transparent.

Add the spices til incorporated.

Add tomatoes, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, apples, and beets.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook about 40 minutes, or a few hours in the Wonderbag.

Add the lemon or lime juice and sugar, and the kale, if you decide to include. 

Using an immersion blender, process until it's thicker but leave lots of chunks of vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. Red chili flakes or chili sauce, if you like, to give a little heat.

Serve with chopped parsley or cilantro.

Cranberry (or Blueberry) Cornbread

This is a new favorite! I've lost track of where I found it. It's always good to have buttermilk recipes, since it's a handy ingredient to have but hard to use up.

Baking it in a flat sheet pan that fits the Breville makes for a very quick bake and a lot of crust.

In muffin tins, it makes 18. I used silicon muffin pans, and the muffins don't look quite the same -- the tops don't round, and they don't brown quite the same, but they're cute!

1 stick butter, softened (7 T. works, but 8 is yummier)
1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cornmeal
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 to 1.5 c. buttermilk (I just baked it and accidentally used just 1 c. and it was fine)
1 c. cranberries, halved.  This is easiest to do with a small knife.

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
• Add eggs; mix well. 
• Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt
• Alternately add with the buttermilk. 
• Fold in cranberries.
• Transfer to a greased small rectangular pan. Bake at 375° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, ~ 20 minutes in the Breville. 

Another version: 12 oz of blueberries (one and half pints) and some grated lemon zest. It's denser than blueberries muffins, very satisfying.

Baked in the round Lodge cast iron.