Sweet potatoes are awesome. Plain and simple. They are flavorful enough to eat raw in salads or stewed, roasted and baked. They make delightful additions to soufflés, muffins and even smoothies. Sweet potato based dishes are sweet, savory, spicy and numerous combinations of all of the above.
Since I'm trying to focus on eating lighter but also on quick to prepare meals these days, I've been eating lots of soups and stews. Sweet potato soup is one of my favorite soups because sweet potatoes are easily available in most supermarkets and sweet potato soup adapts easily to many different flavors. In this recipe I've used fresh ginger, a touch of orange zest and chili oil but one can also add parmesan or manchego cheese and olive oil.
Instead of boiling the sweet potatoes to cook them, I roast mine in the oven first, then blend them in a pot with an immersion blender on the stovetop. Roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven first deepens their flavor and prevents the sweet potatoes from getting waterlogged. Also, roasting the potatoes to cook them takes just as long as cooking them in boiling water, but the flavor payoff is much, much greater.
Sweet Potato Soup
3 sweet potatoes, cubed
15 ml olive oil
750 ml water
45 grams butter
a piece of ginger (the size of a thumbnail is good, use more if you really like the taste of ginger)
a touch of orange zest
salt and pepper
chili oil (optional)
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3 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
a piece of ginger (the size of a thumbnail is good, use more if you really like the taste of ginger)
a touch of orange zest
salt and pepper
chili oil (optional)
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat the sweet potatoes with the olive oil then place them in a baking pan lined with baking/parchment paper.
2. Roast the sweet potatoes until they are easily pricked by a fork, and cooked all the way through. You want the tips of the sweet potatoes to begin to get dark brown, but not completely black. This should take ca. 25 minutes, but be sure to check them to make sure they don't overcook.
3. After the sweet potatoes have roasted, place them in a pot with the rest of the ingredients except the butter, salt and pepper and chili oil.
4. Using an immersion blender (I really like the Elecctrolux Ultramix Pro), blend the contents of the pot until smooth.
5. Turn the stovetop hob to medium high heat and cook at a low simmer for 10 minutes. Add the butter to the pot and season with salt and pepper.
6. If desired, serve the soup with a few drops of chili oil on top, crusty bread and enjoy! This soup is perfect for lazy weekend lunches or an easy dinner and can also be served cold.
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