There are flavors which dance on your tongue, reminding you of seasons, celebrations, or times of year. I love that your senses have the power to carry you out of a moment and transport you to an entirely different time and place.
It is Fall, even in LA the temperatures have dropped and we can enjoy, what I fondly call ‘jacket weather’. Fall, of course, means Fall food (have we talked about this? Yes… and we will keep talking about it because it is great).
-SWEET POTATO PUMPKIN SOUP-
What you will need:
2 small/medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 small pie pumpkin mashed (roasted with the skin removed)
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped carrots
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 tsp sea salt
4-5 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 qt veggie stock
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
option 1: 3 tbsp chopped rosemary
2 tsp thym
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
option 2: sauté a red or yellow pepper in the mirepoix
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp sriracha
1 can black beans (add after the puree)
A shit ton of cilantro to top (As my dear friend Jill would say)
In a large pot sauté your onion, carrots in 2 tbsp butter (like a mirepoix, minus the celery) until the onion is transparent. Pour in the stock, the sweet potato, pumpkin, garlic and almond milk. Add in seasoning of choice and allow to simmer on a low heat until the sweet potato is cooked through. Puree the mixture in a blender and serve.
I have had it both ways (on a few occasions… what can I say I like me some soup when the weather gets cold) and I can’t decide which I like more… my heart tells me the second version, due to my ever lasting love of sriracha, but the first tastes like thanksgiving exploded in my mouth… so.
You be the judge, play with the flavors, add in extra spices and make it your own. The base of sweet potato and pumpkin is amazingly diverse. However you end up preparing it, allow the flavors of the season to carry you away, to wrap you in a familiar embrace and walk you down memory lane.
xx
