If soup is on your Thanksgiving menu… this one’s a winner. So easy… so good.
Ingredients…
1 very large sweet potato, diced small or sliced thinly
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 sage sprig
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1½ quarts chicken stock
Maldon sea salt flakes
White and black peppercorns, freshly ground
Cayenne
Garnish with…
Fresh Italian leaf parsley, chopped finely
Crumbled goat cheese
Toasted Pepitas and sliced almonds
To Make…
Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat and coat the bottom with the olive oil. Add the onion, a generous pinch on Maldon and pinch of red pepper flakes and sprig of sage. Cook until the onions are translucent and the sage has bloomed. Remove the sage sprig and discard. Add the maple syrup and vinegar and stir. Cook for 5 minutes or so until the onions begin to caramelize.
Now add the sweet potatoes, stir to coat with the onion mixture and cook for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft. Remove from the heat and puree with a hand-held or stationary blender. Add more stock as needed to reach desired consistency.
Return soup to stove and reheat. Taste for seasoning and balance with cayenne, Maldon and freshly ground peppercorns.
To Serve…
Ladle soup over a piece of stale bread and garnish with toasted Pepitas and sliced almonds mixture, chopped fresh parsley and crumbled goat cheese. Serve HOT!!!
Toasted Pepitas and Sliced Almonds
Ingredients…
1 large handful of sliced almonds
1 large handful of Pepitas
1 fresh sprig of Thyme, rinsed and shaken
1-2 pinches of cayenne
Maldon sea salt flakes
2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
To Make…
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
In a small roasting pan or 10 inch Lodge cast iron skillet add the Pepitas and sliced almonds. Mix gently. Place your moist sprig of thyme on top.
Now slip the mixture into your preheated oven on the middle shelf and toast until the almonds are slightly browned and the thyme is dry and crisp… about 20 minutes or so. Be careful not to burn.
Remove the mixture from oven and while still hot and remove thyme leave from the sprig. Discard the stems. Season your nuts and seeds with a pinch or two of cayenne, the thyme leaves and the Maldon. Top with the butter and stir… the heat from the mixture will melt the butter. Keep warm until ready to use as a garnish for your smooth, pureed fall and winter soups. Enjoy!
