For years all I have wanted is a garden with an abundance of vegetables. This has happened in fits and starts, with no real plan taking place. It is not for lack of wanting, but more about lack of effort. But this year, I have promised myself that 2015 will end with the plan well established. The first part of the plan was clearing the vegetable planter box of all the bricks. The gardener had placed far more than was needed in to the bottom when it was built. And whereas drainage is important, the number of bricks in the planter was way too high. They were all surfacing and getting in the way. I set the gardener the task of clearing out the bricks, as well as what ever was growing wild in the planter. Little did I know that the single sweet potato that I had planted when it sprouted would grow into a huge harvest. I shared them with people walking down the street, our staff, James, friends and of course we ate a fair amount. There must have been close to 300 sweet potatoes and I am determined that part of the plan will include a potato bed. These took no effort to grow – I literally planted the spud and left it! I doubt it got more water than the rain provided and it certainly did not get any feeding. But oh, did that one sweet potato feed us well! I made sweet potato soup, enough for the week before we left for overseas and enough to freeze so that when we got back I would have something for us to enjoy without too much effort. The planter is now ready for my attention. A load of soil will be delivered and a small fence erected to keep the dogs out and then I will start planting. I cannot wait to share my abundance.
Recipe For Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 15 mls olive oil
- 1 large leek, thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2.5 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 700 g sweet potatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- 500 mls vegetable stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
- 10 g coriander, roughly chopped
Method
- Place the olive oil into a large sauce pan
- Heat and sauté the leek until soft
- Add the carrot, garlic, ginger and bay leaves
- Sauté for a further 5 minutes
- Add the potatoes, orange zest and juice and stock
- Bring to the boil
- Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for one hour
- Remove the bay leaves
- Purée until smooth
- Season to taste and heat up before serving
- Garnish with coriander
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
What I blogged October 8:
- one year ago – St-Sébastien, Nevers
- two years ago – Bouillabaisse
- three years ago – Cake Pops
- five years ago – Hollandaise Sauce
Sweet potato soup looks so rich, classic and creamy, Tandy. Delicious!
Thank you Anu 🙂
Wow – congrats on your sweet potato harvest! And Tandy, this soup with coriander and ginger sounds absolutely delightful!
Thanks Shashi 🙂
What a super recipe Tandy,
Have a happy evening.
🙂 Mandy xo
Thank you Mandy xx
Mmmm – delicious Tandy – wonderful to have in the freezer for when you return from your travels. So satisfying to have a productive garden, just starting to plan our new garden and we are going almost exclusively edible:-)
I love having an edible garden Rachel 🙂
I remember the first year I had a veggie garden I found potatoes the following spring too lol. Such a beautiful soup, especially for fall here.
That must have been a great surprise 🙂
It’s lovely having a patch where you can grow your own, Tandy. Good luck with it. Lovely recipe xx
Thanks Liz 🙂
Hi Tandy, I grew one sweet potato with my plant, so you obviously did much better. I love having a garden, it’s rewarding in so many ways. Lovely looking soup!
I left mine for 2 years so that might have been the secret 🙂
Sweet potato is one of my very favourite vegetables and is healthy too! I can’t get enough ways to incorporate it into my diet, so thanks for this lovely recipe.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did Amanda 🙂
How amazing to get such a massive crop of sweet potatoes!! 🙂 What a haul! Your soup sounds so delicious.
Thanks Krista 🙂
With upcoming autumn, it seems like a perfect dinner option. I’m the biggest fan of sweet potatoes! I could eat them every single day, but never tried the soup!
It is a great way to eat sweet potatoes 🙂
Tandy, love the new format! This sweet potato soup seems so comforting and cozy. I wish I could grow sweet potatoes here but it’s just a tad cold for that. Still, I might try. Sweet potatoes are super cheap right now at Farmer’s Markets so I need to make this asap. Love the color!
Thank you, I am still working on it. If you plant one and it doesn’t work, you have not lost anything 🙂
What a beautiful and super flavorful-sounding soup!! I love sweet potatoes in all forms 🙂
Me too 🙂
I’ve never had sweet potato soup – it looks and sounds wonderful!
One of my favourites Pam 🙂
Lovely ingredients for a tasty soup, Tandy. Thanks so much for the recipe. 🙂
My pleasure 🙂
This sweet potato soup sounds delicious. I bet it’s healthier than a potato soup.
http://doreensstylediary.com
I am sure it is 😉
Having a garden is such a wonderful thing! It sounds like you’ll be needing all sorts of ways to use your sweet potatoes! They are a favorite of mine. Your soup looks delicious.
I am going to restrict my potato planting in future 🙂
sweet potato soup is THE perfect soup for fall! I also love that you added leek!
Thanks, we are getting amazing leeks at the moment 🙂
Love this time of year for hearty soup recipes, this sounds perfect for lunch.
I could eat soup even for breakfast 🙂
300 sweet potato… far out. That is impressive, hope my garden produces an equally impressive amount of deliciousness.
Loving this soup, got a few sweet pots in the cupboard, will have to whip up a batch. Thanks Tandy!
Hope you enjoy the soup Anna 🙂