Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
This recipe is taken from The Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook by Terence Stamp & Elizabeth Buxton.
This is a very clean tasting soup that has a truly amazing colour. Neither orange nor red, it is a brilliant flame colour. Equally delicious hot or cold, this is a useful party standby and makes a refreshing alternative to gazpacho. It may seem from the ingredient list that this is a very spicy soup, but it is not. The blend of flavours is very carefully balanced and no one ingredient dominates.
- Olive oil – 5 tbsp
- Carrots, diced – 140 g (5 oz)
- Orange-fleshed sweet potato, cut into chunks – 140 g (5 oz)
- Onion, chopped – 115 g (4 oz)
- 10 green cardamom seeds
- Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
- 3 dried bay leaves
- Turmeric or a few saffron strands – ½ tsp
- Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
- Can chopped tomatoes – 1 x 400 g (1 x 14 oz)
- Stock, either vegetable or chicken – 500 ml (16 fl oz)
For the garnish:
- Sheep’s yoghurt – 100 ml (3½ fl oz)
- Chopped fresh chives
In a heavy saucepan heat the oil and cook the carrot, sweet potato and onion for 3 minutes. Add the spices and stir them into the oil for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, tomatoes and stock, and simmer covered with a lid for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves and liquidise the contents of the pan in a food processor. Pass the purée through a sieve.
If the soup is to be served hot, pour back into the cleaned saucepan and gently reheat. The soup is meant to be fairly thick, but if you prefer a thinner soup, add a little more stock at this stage. You may then need to adjust the seasoning slightly with a little more lemon juice and black pepper.
If the soup is to be served cold, pour into a bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator.
Whether hot or cold, garnish with a dollop of the yoghurt into which you have whisked the chives.
Serves 4