SWEET POTATO LEEK SOUP

A few weeks ago I made a delicious pumpkin soup with leeks, and I was about to make it again last night until I opened my fridge and saw that the piece of pumpkin I had was rotting. Oops! My husband and I were away for the weekend in Gstaad and got back early enough last night to have a quiet dinner at home. Sunday night dinners at home are the best way to start a busy week ahead. As I had to throw the pumpkin away, I realized I had a bag of sweet potatoes and thus decided to try a different version of the classic potato and leek soup. Sweet potatoes do have a different consistency than regular potatoes, especially in soups; I think the latter creates a thicker, heavier soup. I like my soups a bit more thick so I tend to add a bit less liquid and tons of fresh veggies. I had a beautiful large piece of fresh turmeric root so I peeled and slice half of it inside rather than using the ground turmeric powder, and it added a much stronger turmeric flavor, which we both love. Turmeric is not the most popular spice here in Switzerland but I managed to find the root at a health food store (of course) and as this spice is very potent, a little bit goes a long way! Here is my recipe for this healing, warming soup. I also topped it with a bit of pan fried sage (which is soooo good if you have never had it before) as well as some toasted nuts. You can also top this with fresh goat cheese and rosemary or even some truffle oil.

Husband approved.

Serving size: 4

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes, peeled

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot

5 leeks, chopped

4 cups water or broth

1 piece fresh turmeric (if you don’t have this, you can use 1 tsp ground turmeric)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp + sea salt 

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

For toppings:

3 tbsp sunflower seeds

Bunch of sage leaves

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp ground paprika

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Directions for soup:

Coat a large soup pot with olive oil. Add the onion, shallot and leeks and cook until they start to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and all of the remaining spices. Once the sweet potatoes are soft (about 15 minutes) add the water or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool and blend in a Vitamix or use an immersion blender. Serve in soup bowl and add toppings. 

Directions for toppings:

Coat a small sauce pan with olive oil. Once hot, add the sage and sunflower seeds and top the sunflower seeds with the spices. Let the sage sit and fry for about 5 minutes, and keep mixing the sunflower seeds as they can burn very quickly. Remove from heat and add to soup.