"To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night, all you really need is soup." – Laurie Colwin

With the arrival of autumnal weather, it might seem like the growing season is coming to a close. But wait, winter’s not here yet! This is the time of the harvest, and many fruits and vegetables are just hitting their peak. A walk through the Market on a recent blustery Thursday brought this home to me as I took note of the squashes, apples and beautiful wild mushrooms which are just about as affordable as they get right now.

A detour onto the street to avoid a bottleneck in the Arcade (veteran Pike Place Market shoppers weave in and out of the buildings multiple times during any shopping trip to avoid the crowds) brought me to the Alvarez Organic Farms booth--two tents filled with fresh, local, organic tomatoes, squash, onions, fresh and dried beans, peanuts and, their specialty--a myriad of peppers. Hanging from the tent were pepper strands and pepper wreathes--only $15 apiece, and so beautiful and colorful. Sure, the tourists like them, but a bright red ristra would brighten up any Seattle kitchen in the gray of midwinter.

I had a little chat with Lisa from Alvarez Farms while I was picking out my ingredients for a soup to make for dinner that night. Alvarez Farms occupies 75 acres near Mabton (which is outside of Yakima, as Lisa had to explain to this urbanite), on land that has been certified organic since 1992. They specialize in growing peppers--over 150 varieties! And you can buy some of those varieties--and lots of other vegetables--any day of the week at the Pike Place Market all the way through November. Lisa pointed out that if you want to eat local, fresh produce all year, now is the time to stock up, with seasonal fruits and vegetables at their peak flavor and best price. Freezing or preserving will not only save you money, but will bring the flavors of the harvest to your table during the dark days of winter.

Armed with my purchases of zucchini and sweet onions from the Alvarez booth, along with a lime and some parsley from one of the highstalls inside the Arcade, I headed home, the vague idea for the soup coalescing into a recipe in my mind during my  bus ride. What I ended up with is a simple-to-make healthy soup that can easily be vegetarian. It’s got a satisfying richness (which is what you want on a cold, blustery evening), a nice hint of curry and a kick from the lime that makes the flavors pop.

Curried Zucchini Soup
Serves 4

2 Tbsp. olive oil

½ sweet onion, roughly chopped

4 zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into ¼” slices

2 tsp. curry powder

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

½ cup instant mashed potatoes, if desired, as a thickener

1 tsp. Kosher salt (or ½ tsp. table salt), or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ cup Greek style plain yogurt

2 tsp. chopped Italian parsley

1 lime

In a large stock pot, sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat until it is translucent and has started to caramelize. Increase heat to med-high, add the zucchini and curry powder and sauté, stirring frequently, until the zucchini softens and begins to brown. Add the chicken stock, stir and increase heat to high to bring to a boil, then set heat to low and simmer the soup for ½ hour.

Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, parsley and juice from ½ lime together in a small bowl.

Puree soup in batches in a blender and return to pot. Add instant mashed potatoes if you want a thicker soup. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze the juice from the other half of the lime into the soup.

Serve soup with a dollop of the yogurt mixture.

- Erika Sweet