Autumn Soup with Freshly Dug Potatoes and Prawns #SoupSwappers

Here we are at the November Soup Saturday Swappers event. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm started this event and, every month, I get a new array of soup recipes to put in my to-try pile.

This month, I am hosting and posted to the group: "Let's showcase a soup made with roots! For this event, use roots, taproots, bulb, tubers...be as creative as you want."

Here's the line-up of root vegetable soup and stew recipes from the #SoupSwappers...

• Autumn Soup with Freshly Dug Potatoes and Prawns by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Carrot and Ginger Soup by Magical Ingredients
• Colombian Chicken and Potato Soup (Ajiaco) by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Creamy French Red Lentil Soup with Ham Stock by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Danish Potato Soup by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Potato & Radish Dahi Kadhi by Sneha's Recipe
• Puree of Celery Root Soup by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Russian Ragu Iz Ovoshej by Pandemonium Noshery
• Sausage, Potato and Sauerkraut Soup by Palatable Pastime
• Savory Root Vegetable Soup by Making Miracles

Autumn Soup with Freshly Dug Potatoes and Prawns 

When I first set up this event, I had planned to make Canh Tôm Khoai Môn (Vietnamese Taro Soup with Shrimp). The day I scheduled to make my soup I had even peeled and deveined the prawns. Then my husband excitedly shared that he was going to dig up the potatoes in the planter boxes; another friend said that they are the sweetest the day you harvest. So, I switched direction and decided to make an autumn soup with our freshly dug potatoes and the prawns.

Aren't these the prettiest?!? Well, I am duly impressed because I can't grow anything. I just cook it all. So, this soup has potatoes from our garden, squash, celery, and other veggies from our CSA (community supported agriculture) share at Robina's Organics. It really was a pot of autumnal goodness.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup diced or ground bacon (if you're local to me, I highly recommend PigWizard)
• butter or olive oil, if needed
• 1/2 cup diced organic onions
• 1 cup diced organic celery
• 1 cup cubed squash (I used a butternut squash)
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups baby potatoes
• 1 cup diced organic zucchini
• 4 cups broth (I used vegetable stock, use whatever you have)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 pound prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 cups baby spinach
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Procedure

In a large pot, add diced bacon and cook until the fat is rendered. If it looks too dry, add a splash of olive oil or a pat of butter to the pot.

Stir in the onions, celery, butternut squash, and garlic. Cook until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent. Stir in the oregano, paprika, cumin, potatoes, and zucchini. Turn to coat everything with the bacon grease or olive oil.

Pour in the broth and white wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook until the potatoes are fork tender, approximately 20 minutes. Uncover and stir in the prawns. Cook until the prawns are opaque and pink, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the baby spinach. Let stand for five minutes so the spinach can wilt before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper, as needed.

To serve, ladle into individual serving bowls. Serve immediately.

That's a wrap for our root vegetable soup event. The bloggers will return next month with soup recipes that feature cabbage. Sue of Palatable Pastime will head that event. Stay tuned.