Today on the Sonrise Morning Show, Sacred Heart Radio, Matt Swaim and I chatted about carrots.

Did you know this popular root vegetable has an ancient Biblical history?

Not mentioned specifically in the Bible carrots are members of the parsley family, and they are probably natives of Afghanistan and Central Asia. There, carrots with red or purple roots still grow wild. In the Fertile Crescent near the Nile, carrots were probably cultivated as long as 1000 years before Christ was born. It is believed that the Israelites may have encountered carrots during their captivity in Egypt.

By the 10th century people in Iran and northern Arabia were growing both purple and yellow carrots.  Who knew that the purple trendy carrots of today had such a humble beginning?

Here’s the soup recipe Matt shared – so good and good for you!

Matt’s minestrone

Matt told me:  “I made this pretty amazing buttercup squash and kale minestrone on Sunday, and it made my weekend. I eyeballed the potatoes and squash and added more kale than the recipe called for. Highly recommended.”  

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 generous cup chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 1/2-3 cups peeled and cubed winter squash*

2 celery stalks, diced

2 nice carrots, peeled and diced 

About 3 cups cubed potatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregano or more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

6 cups water, vegetable broth or chicken broth 

4 cups chopped kale, spinach or other leafy greens 

1 can cannellini beans, drained but not rinsed.

* Matt used buttercup squash. I used butternut

Instructions

Film bottom of soup pot with a bit of oil and put on medium heat. 

Add onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. 

Add squash, celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and water and cook until the potatoes are about done.

Add kale and beans and simmer until kale is tender and beans are hot. Makes 12 cups.