Spicy Sweet Potato-Apple Soup
By: Maureen Cavanau...
Published: Friday, January 20, 2012 - 9:07am

Ingredients




4 tablespoons butter
1 medium sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 small organic gala apples, peeled, cored, chopped into 1 inch cubes
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 small bay leaf
Sea salt & black pepper
Brown sugar
Flat leaf parsley and sour cream (optional)

Preparation

1 In a 6 quart pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook 10 minutes or until translucent. 2 Add olive oil, jalapeño and garlic. Stir and cook another 2-3 minutes careful not to brown. 3 Add sweet potatoes, apples and chicken stock, cinnamon and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover with vented lid. Simmer for 15-17 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 4 Remove bay leaf. 5 Remove pan from heat. 6 Mash potatoes and apples with a hand masher. 7 Use an immersion blender to smooth out soup or blend in batches in a food processor. 8 Season to taste with salt and pepper. 9 Ladle into bowls. Add brown sugar, sour cream & parsley. 10 Serve immediately.

About

Three sweet potatoes sat alone on a shelf in my pantry. I couldn't remember what I bought them for, so I moved them to the kitchen counter to use them for dinner. At first, I was going to scrub them and bake them. They would have been a fine complement to the beef tenderloin that I roasted earlier in the afternoon. Then I considered slicing them into thin slivers and roasting them wth a kiss of olive oil, sea salt and pepper. I was sold on that idea, but then I noticed the bowl of apples on my counter. I recalled buying fresh jalapeno peppers at the market earlier in the morning and then within minutes, I pulled out my six court stock pot and began peeling and chopping to create what would become this lush and silky soup.