Creamy Curried Sweet Potato Soup

It’s Feast Week!  Actually, this kicks off ‘Feast (five) Weeks’ for me since I will be eating nonstop from now until New Year’s Day at which point I will hit the ‘reset’ button for a week or two before transitioning back to my attempts at balancing diet days vs. splurge days. 

We are travelling to Virginia to be with Robbie’s family over Thanksgiving so I will be able to relax and hopefully get in my southern food fixes like Firehouse Subs and Chic-Fil-A.  We have to get there first though.  We are flying in a prop plane out of Newark early Thursday morning . . . I hope no one is offended when I bring a turkey leg on the plane.   

Here’s a Thanksgiving fun fact about me – the sweet potatoes are my least favorite item on the Thanksgiving table.  I usually get just a small spoon full because I’ll feel like it’s not Thanksgiving without all seven food groups (turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls, butter) but when I go back for seconds (and thirds) I usually leave the sweet potatoes off my plate. 

Earlier this month I stumbled upon a way that I will gladly devour them.  I made this soup because I thought Robbie would love it and I would get to play martyr by making something I dislike and then remind him of that fact while we ate.  However, I ended up loving it just as much as he did.  My annoyance turned to pride when I realized how adventurous I was being and my martyrdom speech turned into an ‘Aren’t-you-glad-I-made-something-risky-but-with-big-reward?’ conversation.  Poor Robbie.  It was incredibly easy to make but still required enough chopping and slicing so it makes you feel like you provided a solid home-cooked meal. (And could complain about all the chopping and slicing required to your loved ones.)

It’s also an excellent medium for ricotta cheese. 

Creamy Curried Sweet Potato Soup

Adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon coarsely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

2 ½ pounds sweet potates, peeled and sliced about a quarter-inch thick

6 cups chicken broth (I made mine with bouillon cubes)

Ricotta cheese (the original recipe called for goat cheese which would be equally as delicious)

Heat the oil in a large stock pot.  Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until it begins to brown.  Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add the spices (ginger through red pepper flakes) and stir well.  Add the sweet potatoes and broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft.  Puree the soup as you see fit (I used an immersion blender).  Top with a dollop of Ricotta cheese.