Pear and Potato Soup

It was World Food Day on Thursday. Did you know that? I didn’t, but I’m happy to know that there’s a day that reminds us of our good fortune. In honour of this day–and indeed, this week, which is considered by some to be grateful week–I want to share a recipe that I found and adapted from treehugger.com. I made this for Thanksgiving Day (last Monday, here in Canada), and it was a hit. Let’s be grateful for good friends, good health and good food. Enjoy!

1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
8 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (around 1/2 inch)
2 medium-small carrots, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 pears peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 cups vegetable broth
Crumbled blue cheese (a creamy, potent raw milk one is best, if you can get it) for serving
Salt and pepper to taste

1 . In a large pot add butter and heat over medium until foaming. Then, stir in the onion, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft. Do not let it brown.

2. Stir in the garlic, potato, and carrot, cover again. Turn the heat to medium and cook another 10 minutes. Then, add in the maple syrup, pear, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, thyme, sage and nutmeg. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes to get the pear all coated with the syrup and other flavors.

3. Add in the broth, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes and pears are soft, about 15 minutes.

4. Blend in batches until smooth, or use an immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle blue cheese on top and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Photo by Kasia.