It’s been soup and stew season in our home for these past few wintry weeks. That’s fine by me; I love curling up with a steamy bowl of something tasty while it’s snowing outside. But this weekend I noticed that all of our soups had begun to resemble each other, featuring beans or tomatoes or both. It was like they all shared a common ancestor, and that ancestor was chili. Don’t get me wrong: I love a good bean as much as the next person, but a girl cannot make it through soup season on chili alone.

So I set about creating with a soup that was warm and filling, had a dearth of legumes and contained nothing canned (as I was loath to brave our icy front steps to pitch the empties into the recycling bin). The result was a kind of potato chowder with a spicy Indian twist, but nary a bean in sight. If you need a break from the chili this week, give it a go.

Spicy Spinach and Potato Chowder

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 tsp. tumeric
• 2 Tbsp. curry powder or other Indian masala mix
• 1 Tbsp. curry paste or Indian pickle (I used pickled lime)
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 3 large red-skinned potatoes, chopped
• 1 pint half-and-half
• 1 bunch spinach, de-stemmed and coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper Continue reading →