Curried Winter Vegetable Stoup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium eggplant, peel half of each one and chop into bite-size pieces
1 small head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into about one-inch chunks
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock plus 1 cup, divided
2 rounded tablespoons mild curry paste, more if desired

1/2 cup mango chutney
1 15-ounce can chickpeas
1 28-ounce fire-roasted tomatoes
1 10-ounce bag spinach, thinly sliced
1 bag pita chips

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Place a large pot over medium-high heat with 3 turns of the pan of vegetable oil, about 3 tablespoons. Add the eggplant and cook stirring for about 2 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and potatoes, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and add the red bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, adding a little more oil if necessary the mixture seems dry. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring every now and then. Add stock and bring up to a simmer.

While the stoup is coming up to a simmer, combine 1 cup of the stock with the curry paste and the mango chutney in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Add the curry mixture to the pot along with the chickpeas and tomatoes. Season with some salt and pepper, bring the mixture up to a bubble and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes and veggies are nice and tender and the flavors have melded together. Fold spinach in at the end.

To serve, ladle up a good amount of the stoup into a serving bowls and top with some pita chips.