Fall Soup

The weather in DC right now is hardly indicative of fall. Yet, pumpkins are out and all signs are that Autumn is not far away. So the girls and I gathered last night for a fall-themed dinner and I made one my favorite soups: Sweet-Potato Peanut Soup. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated's The Quick Recipe - which I recommend. Enjoy!

 

Sweet Potato-Peanut Soup

Serves 4-6

Time: 50 minutes

Although the recipe was developed with standard sweet potatoes (called Beauregards), Jewel and Red Garnet sweet potatoes also work well.  Do stick to the orange-fleshed varieties; white-fleshed sweet potatoes, in conjunction with the peanut butter, would blend to an unappetizing color.  Ground coriander seemingly loses its flavor even faster than most ground spices, so give yours a taste prior to making this recipe; you may want to pick up a fresh supply. If you have a spice grinder, grind whole coriander seeds for the best flavor.  Both smooth and crunchy peanut butter work fine here, as the soup is pureed.  You will need 2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth for this recipe.  This soup can be prepared in advance (it will hold for 2 days in the refrigerator), but don’t add the cilantro until just before serving.

2 T. unsalted butter

1 medium onion, diced fine

Salt

1 t. light brown sugar

3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed (about 1 T.)

½ t. ground coriander

1/8-1/4 t. cayenne pepper

3 ½ cups canned low-sodium chicken broth

2 pounds sweet potatoes, (about 3 medium), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced thin

3 T. peanut butter

Ground black pepper

1 T. minced fresh cilantro leaves

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Once the foaming subsides, add the onion, 1 t. salt, and brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, coriander, and cayenne and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.  Add the broth, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, and 2 cups water.  Cover, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and partially uncover the pan.  Cook until the sweet potatoes begin the crumble and are easily pierced with a knife, 25 to 30 minutes.

2. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth [I use a stick/immersion blender.]  Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the cilantro.  Serve.

Approximate Nutrition Information: Per Serving : 338 Calories; 15g Fat; 16g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 115mg Sodium.