Sweet Potato and Cumin Soup

As I had the day off work and nothing to do I decided to make lots and lots of food. Then I figured if I'm going to make food, why not blog about it. I'm making multiple dishes (including some kick-ass brownies to finish), and blogging while I eat them. So here is post number one:

Sweet Potato and Cumin Soup

I love sweet potato, and cumin is my favourite spice, so this soup is perfect for me. It's really easy to make, although you do need a food processor or blender which I didn't realise. Cue me searching frantically around the kitchen while the soup is merrily bubbling away. This is an adapted recipe from Good Housekeeping Step-By-Step Vegetarian Cookbook however I have added in some chorizo I had in the fridge so it's not veggie anymore (obviously you could miss this step out).

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
575g peeled potatoes (I used unpeeled Vivaldi potatoes which worked out great)
350g peeled sweet potatoes
1.2 litres hot vegetable stock
30g cooked chorizo, torn (optional step - I used the stuff you get for sandwiches from the supermarket)
3-4 tbsp chopped fresh corainder (due an intense dislike of coriander, I used fresh basil instead)
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil to serve

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, garlic and cumin and fry gently for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, dice all of the potatoes (sweet and normal). Add them to the pan and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. (It says in the recipe to do this until they are lightly browned. If you're using a reasonably small saucepan like me you won't get any browning but if they're hot and covered in the flavoured oil for about 5 minutes that's fine).
3. Add the stock (plus the chorizo if desired), bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes (if you can find the lid for the pan, that is...). Transfer the soup into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Pour the soup into a clean pan and return to the boil (I used the same pan, as I begrudge the extra washing up).  Stir in the coriander (or basil) and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup at once, drizzled with olive oil.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Cals/serving: 165-125 (not including the chorizo)


I just finished the soup and it was fantastic. I've never had it without the chorizo, but I feel it really adds a wonderful spicy flavour. You could get a similar effect without the meat by adding paprika.

Second course is halfway through - see you soon...