My mother is currently living in Seattle with my sister and was planning on joining us here in Portland for Thanksgiving as my sister had plans to visit her son in the DC area. The plan was to meet in Centralia, WA (halfway between Portland and Seattle) and make the switch. The Monday before Thanksgiving was the appointed day. We woke up to some pretty wintry weather and had a phone conference regarding the possibilities of actually pulling this off. We decided to give it a shot and go for it. I loaded up the car with chains, sleeping bags, blankets, gloves, hats, water and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...just in case, you know, and headed out. It was snowing but the roads were just wet and not slippery. As I got further north, the snow was heavier and slush was starting to build up on the sides of the freeway. At one point, I pulled into a snowy rest area to call my husband to verify how I use the 4 wheel drive in my Jeep and after a refresher, continued onward. I made it to Centralia in just a little bit more time than it would have under normal driving conditions. We met at Burgerville. Their drive had been a bit more harrowing, avoiding 3 accidents as cars slipped and slid all over the freeway in the Seattle/Tacoma area. It took them 1 1/2 hours to get through Tacoma but we both made it safely...they a little more worse for wear than I! We all grabbed hamburgers and got right back into the cars to head home. The ride home was very snowy and quite beautiful but the roads remained only wet and our Seattle contingent had a much less harrowing return trip. Upon our return to Portland, I was ready for something warm and soothing...and a good stiff drink! I had some sweet potatoes laying around that needed to be used so decided to concoct a sweet potato soup. We ordered several pasture raised chickens from Afton Field Farm and have been making amazing chicken stock and keeping it in the freezer. You can substitute vegetable stock if you prefer a vegetarian option for this soup.
SWEET POTATO SOUP FOR AFTER A SCARY WINTER DRIVE
1 qt. chicken stock or veggie stock
1 large sweet potato
1 Tbls. minced fresh ginger
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2-1 Tbls. minced jalapeno pepper
1 15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch greens (chard, kale, collards or spinach), de-ribbed and coarsely chopped
1/2 can coconut milk (not lite)
1/2 cup red lentils
1 Tbls. coconut oil or olive oil
1 tsp.-1 Tbls. curry powder (depending on how much you like curry)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried or 1 Tbls. fresh chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash sweet potato and cut into 1/2 inch cubes...no need to peel it. Toss with melted coconut oil or olive oil, a little salt and cumin. Roast for about 15-20 minutes. You want to be able to pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork but not too soft. Set aside. You can skip this step if you like and just toss the sweet potatoes in the soup and cook until tender but I like to roast them as it really brings our their sweetness and caramelizes them.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt coconut oil. Add garlic, onion, ginger, and jalapeno. Saute until onion begins to turn translucent and soften. Add curry powder, cumin, basil and salt. Saute until fragrant. Add tomatoes with their juices and deglaze the pan. Bring this mixture to a boil then reduce to simmer.
Bring stock to a boil in a stock pot. Add red lentils and cook until they start to become tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat and add the tomato mxiture, sweet potatoes, greens and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and allow the flavors to come together, about 10-15 minutes. Squeeze in the lime juice and serve. Can be garnished with a sprig of fresh basil or cilantro.
So, there you have it...my first post in a very long time and no pictures to heighten the experience but I'm back! Winter is such a wonderful time to experiment with soup...just about anything goes. Something I would like to share is that making homemade stock and using it in soups brings the soup to another level. I don't know if I can go back to using the packaged variety. It's so easy to make. There are a couple of ways to go about this and I'll give you a quick primer here.
POULTRY STOCK
Either use the carcass from a roasted chicken or turkey or buy some backs, wings or legs from your butcher. If using fresh, roast them in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour before making the stock. Always add your ingredients to COLD water, in a stock pot, so that the bones will open up and release their goodness into the water as it heats. Add onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, fresh herbs (I use thyme...just throw in the whole sprig), bay leaf and anything else you think would be good. These veggies don't have to be pretty as you will be throwing them away. Make sure you have enough water to cover the ingredients completely...you can add more water while the stock is cooking if need be. Bring the ingredients to a boil and reduce to a simmer and let it simmer all day. I usually cover it for awhile and simmer uncovered for awhile, depending on how concentrated I want to make the stock. Cool and strain the stock and discard the veggies and bones. You can store the stock in the fridge for about a week or freeze for about a year. You can make a bunch at once and then have it available anytime! It is really easy, fairly inexpensive and oh my, the difference is amazing!
Happy slurping!
