Gypsy Pot Soup

Gypsy Pot Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C Chickpeas, cooked
2 Carrots, peeled and sliced thickly
8 C Vegetable Stock
1 Lb Pumpkin or Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
2 C Green Beans, cut in 1 inch
2 Pears, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 T Lemon juice
3 T Olive oil
3 Cloves of garlic, peeled
1/3 C Blanched Almonds
1 Slice of bread, torn in pieces
1 Onion, chopped
1 t Sweet Paprika
2 Tomatoes, finely chopped
1 Pinch of Saffron
2 t Red wine vinegar
2 T Fresh mint, chopped
Salt to taste

Directions:
1.  In a soup pot, add chickpeas, carrots, and stock.  Bring to a boil.
2.  Add lemon juice, pumpkin, green beans and pears.  Simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
3.  In a skillet, heat oil and add garlic, almonds and bread.  Sauté until golden brown.  Using a slotted spoon, remove everything leaving oil. 
4.  Add onion to oil and sauté until softened.  Add paprika, tomatoes and a few tablespoons of stock and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.
5.  Stir the tomato mixture and saffron to soup.  Continue to cook making sure the pumpkin is soft, almost falling apart.
6.  Meanwhile add the fried garlic, almonds and bread into a food processor and process until finely ground. 
7.  Stir garlic mixture and vinegar into soup.   Salt to taste. 
8.  Garnish with mint.

Serves 6-8