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

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