Curried Sweet Potato Soup

It’s been a minute since I posted here. Actually, more like 7 months. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, I went to volunteer at World Central Kitchen, got hired as a contractor, and have been cooking as a member of their Chef Relief Team. By October, we had prepared over 900,000 meals for front-line workers and members of our community in need. I met some very special people. We made a lot of great food and even better memories. But, enough about me…

Let’s talk Curried Sweet Potato Soup.

‘Tis the season to get into soups and stews and pot pies! I recommend you scroll through my recipe index to see all the options, but this is a great place to start. This soup is puréed in the end, so don’t worry too much about chopping the vegetables precisely, just try to keep the potatoes and apples uniform in size so they cook evenly.

CURRIED SWEET POTATO SOUP

YIELD: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 TB olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 TB curry powder
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and cut into 1” cubes
• 3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1” cubes
• 1 quart water or vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, celery, garlic, salt and pepper to the pot and sauté until fragrant, 3 – 5 minutes.
3. Add curry powder and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add apple juice to the pot and use it to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the sweet potatoes and apples and just enough water or stock to cover them. It may take more or less than 1 quart.
6. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes and apples are tender when poked with a fork, about 30 minutes.
7. Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth and silky. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can purée the soup in small batches in a blender – just be careful!
8. Add water or stock to the soup to achieve desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.