sweet potato, corn & jalapeño bisque

Soups are one of my favorite meals. They are quick and simple to make and you can usually find something in your cupboard to throw into the pot. Variations are endless and they make for an affordable meal. My husband, as it's been well documented here on this blog, is a soup-hater. As much as I try to bring him over to the soup-side, it ain't working.

I'd love to tell you that this amazing beautiful bowl of perfectly spiced orange velvet, helped to win him over. But that would be a lie. There is no conversion in this story, no "ah-ha" moment (oh my god, did I just quote Oprah?) . And I'm okay with that because it means there is more of this soup for me to love.

I served this as part of my contribution to our Thanksgiving dinner this past Monday and it is definitely guest-worthy. Calling it a bisque rather than a soup makes it seem fancier than it really is. After all, a bisque is just a smoothly pureed soup and this soup is smoooooth. Did I mention it's like velvet? It is. The texture is amazing and the flavours are well-balanced. Spicy from the peppers and a hit of sweetness from the root vegetables and a tiny hit of maple syrup. It's autumn in a bowl and I couldn't be happier eating up the leftovers. Sorry, husband, but there's going to be a lot more of this soup in our future.

As for the recipe, I doubled the basic recipe and just subbed in maple syrup for the molasses. I also decided not to double up on the maple syrup, since I was using part yams which are so much sweeter than sweet potatoes. Let your taste buds be your guide! The recipe below serves about 6 people.

sweet potato, corn & jalapeño bisque
(adapted from The Wednesday Chef)
1 T canola oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
6-8 c vegetable or chicken stock
2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
1 c frozen corn kernels
2 T maple syrup
1/2 T kosher salt
1/4 t ground cayenne
1/4 t black pepper
pinch ground cinnamon

In a large soup pot, heat oil over med-high heat and add in garlic and onions. Let them sweat for a bit until fragrant, then add in the yams and sweet potatoes. Stir around a bit and then cover with stock - just enough so that the vegetables are covered. Put a lid on, and let things bubble away over medium heat.

About 30 minutes later or so, the vegetables should be soft. Get out your immersion blender and whizz away, pureeing until every last chunk has been pulverized. Add in the jalapeños, corn, maple syrup, salt, cayenne, pepper and the tiniest pinch of cinnamon. Stir well, taste and adjust for seasoning. Ladle into bowls and get ready to find instant happiness (or, if you are like my husband, just grin and bear it).

spicy roasted tomato & black bean soup

The pressure is on! Tomorrow is the first day of the Vancouver One of a Kind Show & Sale and there is all kinds of prep work that needs to be done. Walls are painted, shelves are installed, cards & birthday calendars are packaged up but there's also carpet and under pad to be laid, furniture to be set up and then just the general nervousness that comes with a big event. Let's just say that it's a soup kind of week.

Earlier , when my thoughts were still about what to eat for dinner than the panicky thoughts that are filling my brain at the moment, I roasted up some tomatoes, garlic, herbs and jalapeno peppers. At that point, I wasn't sure what I was going to make. A pasta dish maybe? But it had been a while since I had made soup, and when that thought entered my head, I just couldn't shake it. Into a stock pot these fragrant tomatoes and peppers went, along with some onions and celery for balance, some homemade stock and a can of black beans. A squeeze of lime near the end also didn't do this recipe any harm either. For the recipe, please head on over to Poppytalk.

So wish me well at the sale if you are from out of town, but if you are in Vancouver tomorrow until Sunday, please stop by our booth (we'll be at booth G18: The Hob Snobs Craft Collective). I'll be the nervous red-head wishing she had a bit of spicy soup to help calm her nerves.