Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

It’s raining today, so I decided I needed something comforting and warm but not too heavy, considering that it is summer, despite the fact that I can nearly smell the apple orchard down the road.  I guess I still have just a few more weeks of summer posts, before the real fall happenings roll into town.

I love rainy days.  It’s weird, kind of, I guess…some people love summer and sun and I love clouds and rain and pretty much all things cozy.  Perhaps I just love the excuse to wear a sweatshirt regardless of the time of year… who knows, really.  One thing I do know is that I am a huge fan of comfort food, which this soup is.

It’s also light enough to be called “diet food” though I don’t consider this at all “diet food”  since I ate a big ol’ roll with butter on it, but that’s beside the point, really. I probably could have skipped that detail, but I didn’t.  I love adding roasted butternut squash to the mix in the late fall and winter, but I suppose that’s for a different post.

Now, on with the soup!

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon safflower oil
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
• 1 shallot grated or minced
• 1 teaspoon grated or minced garlic
• 2 celery stalks, cleaned and diced
• 1 large baking potato, cleaned and diced
• 1 15.5 ounce can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 32 fluid ounces vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• more salt and pepper to taste

Drop oil into four quart saucepan on medium-high heat.  When oil starts to ripple, add onions, shallot, celery, carrots and garlic.  Add one teaspoon salt.  Stand close and stir frequently until grated shallot and garlic starts to turn golden and the onions become translucent.  Add wine and crushed tomatoes, the other teaspoon of salt and cook and stir until  liquid reduces by half.  Add potatoes, beans, vinegar, pepper and sugar. Stir and add stock.  Bring to boil until potatoes and carrots are tender.  Add thyme, coriander seed and season with salt and pepper to taste.