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2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed

2 to 3 teaspoons mild curry powder (start with 2 teaspoons

and add more at the end, if you like)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1¼ teaspoons salt

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup dried red lentils

¾ pound parsnip, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces

(about 2 cups)

¾ pound rutabaga or turnip, peeled and diced into ½-inch

pieces (about 2 cups)

1 cup baby carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces

Lime slices, for serving (optional)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions in the oil until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for another minute.

Add the remaining spices and salt, and saute for about 30 seconds, then add the broth, lentils, and the remaining vegetables. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, keeping a close eye on it. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are creamy and the vegetables are soft. If neccesary, thin the soup by adding up to a cup of water. Taste for salt and seasonings.

Let the soup sit for 10 minutes or so for maximum flavor. Serve garnished with lime slices.

TIP

To peel a rutabaga or turnip, hold it stem side up and use your 8-inch chef’s knife to thinly slice off the peel, running the knife down the side of the vegetable from top to bottom. The more practice you get, the easier it will be; you just have to know where the curve is to get it as thin as possible.

TIP

As the years go by, my coriander seed-crushing techniques get more and more refined. The easiest way to crush coriander is to place the seeds in a plastic sandwich bag and roll them with a rolling pin for about a minute. I keep a plastic bag in my spice cabinet for this very reason, and just reuse it as much as I can until it falls apart. It’s really a great method to coax the most flavor out of your coriander. If you really, really don’t feel like it, 1½ teaspoons of ground coriander can be used in its place.

Peruvian Purple Potato Soup

SERVES 6 • ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

PER SERVING

(⅙ RECIPE):

Calories: 150

Calories from fat: 10

Total fat: 1 g

Saturated fat: 0 g

Trans fat: 0 g

Total carb: 30 g

Fiber: 4 g

Sugars: 4 g

Protein: 5 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 570 mg

Vitamin A: 0%

Vitamin C: 60%

Calcium: 4%

Iron: 8%

Why is this soup Peruvian? Maybe because purple potatoes are native to Peru, or maybe because I love alliteration. When I spot purple potatoes at the farmers’ market, I can’t stop myself from lugging home a ton of them. Slice them open and they’re such a gorgeous hue, the kind of purple you want to paint your room on a Saturday evening when you’re fifteen and have no Cure concert to go to. But these days you don’t have to go to the farmers’ market to procure some of these beauties; many well-stocked supermarkets sell purple potatoes, or at least blue potatoes, which would be great in this soup, too. After boiling the potatoes the color does fade just a tad, so I cheat and grate in some beet at the end. Unless you’re a food photographer or entering the soup into a purple food competition, that probably isn’t exactly necessary.

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely

2 jalapeños, seeded and sliced

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable broth

2 pounds purple potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks

½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

¼ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste

A little grated beet, for color (optional)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions, jalapeños, and bay leaves for about 7 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 3 minutes more.

Add the potatoes, water, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat a bit to a slow simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to puree half the soup, or transfer half of the soup to