Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Sausage Soup

I went out to dinner with my parents last week and had some delicious Sweet Potato and Sausage soup, and my dad and I ate it so quickly that my mom didn't even get to taste it.  So I decided I am going to try and figure out how to make it myself!

I started by roasting three good sized sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs) in the oven on a baking sheet for an hour on 400 degrees.  I meant to drizzle a little olive oil on them first, but I forgot, but I would do that next time!  Take them out, let them cool and then scoop all the good stuff out of the peel and set it aside. I actually found that once I cut them open, the peel basically just fell off and I slid them into a bowl. 

Next heat a good sized pot over medium heat (note, my pot was way bigger than it needed to be!)  Add about a tbsp of olive oil and then crumble 4 Chorizo Sausage links (out of the casings) into the hot pan and let them brown.

Once they are brown, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the sausage and set it aside on a paper towel on a plate so it can drain a bit.  To the oil, I added one medium onion and a garlic clove, both grated.  I grated them because I hate chomping down on a chunk of onion or garlic in a soup like this.  I used the large sized grater for the onion, and the small side for the garlic.  The moisture from these will help release all the good flavor crystals that are stuck to the bottom of the pan, which is awesome!  Once they have cooked down and are soft, add salt, pepper, and a small pinch of Cayenne pepper. (I did a little more like 2 pinches and it was pretty spicy!) Once that is combined, add in about 2 cups of chicken stock and then your sweet potato.  Mush it all up, stir, and add a pinch each of nutmeg and cinnamon.  

Now, here is where I wish I had an immersion blender, but I don't, so I scooped everything into my blender and pureed it all together.
Before
After



















You can then add it back into your pot and stir in the cooked sausage.  Taste for seasoning, and then enjoy!  I didn't think of it when I was at the store today, but I think that my raisin bread croutons would be awesome with this!  I will make some tomorrow and add photos.  They are so awesome.

To make the croutons, take about 4-6 slices of good raisin bread (I found some apple cider golden raisin bread at Wegmans that was so very fall, I couldn't resist!), and cut them into cubes the size of croutons.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add about 1 tbsp of oil and 1-2 tbsp of butter. 

 Once that is all melted together, toss the bread in with the butter and oil until it is coated evenly.  Add a little salt and cinnamon and keep cooking and tossing until all sides are nice and golden brown.  
They will be crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  They are so good in fall soups like this sweet potato one, or any butternut squash soup (another one of my favorites!)  Top your soup with a few and enjoy!


YUM

2 comments:

  1. Looks yummy! Immersion blenders are AWESOME! I got mine for Christmas last year and can't imagine life without it!

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    1. It was really delicious! This one is a definite win :) I put an immersion blender on my wishlist. I hope Santa brings me one ;)

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