Kitchen Concoctions

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The Perfect Soup For A Fun Holiday

I love the fall and winter for all the foods that a popular during that time. Like pumpkin and sweet potato and cranberry and eggnog and gingerbread, and…

I mean I KNOW I could totally eat those foods any time of year but there is just something about the fall and winter when it makes it ok. In fact I strongly believe that these flavors and foods taste even better in the fall and winter!

And considering that I love the tastes of pumpkin and sweet potato so much you would have thought that I would be chomping at the bits to cook and bake with pumpkin and sweet potato as soon as October hit. But to my own amazement I have not made a single thing! I haven’t even bought anything pumpkin flavored!

So when I saw this recipe in this month’s cookbook I absolutely knew I had to try it. I am usually not a big fan of bisques, I usually like hearty, chunky soups. But as I type this I am craving a big bowl of tomato bisque and warm, flaky garlic bread. So, maybe I just don’t know what I am talking about!

This soup appealed to me because of not only the sweet potatoes but because of the combination of the sweet potatoes and bleu cheese. This soup was smooth and creamy and rich. The flavors blended so well together. At first glance you would think this soup was plain and boring. But every spoonful left you wanting more. The bleu cheese was defiantly the secret, but perfect, ingredient in this soup.
Of course I did make a few minor changes to this recipe. The original recipe called for leaks but I did not have any on had and substituted carrots. Also, this recipe could be completely vegetarian if you used vegetable stock (which the recipe originally called for) instead chicken stock, but again I used what I had on hand. Also, you could use fresh or canned sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato and Cheese Soup

adapted from 365 Dish A Day

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 (6-8 oz) can sweet potatoes, drained and rinsed
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon parsley
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 (5 oz) package bleu cheese crumbles, with 2 tablespoons set aside

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until lightly softened. Add the sweet potatoes and cook. Then add stock, parsley, the bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the soup in batches to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Be careful when blending hot items in the blender and make sure there is away for steam to escape.
Return pureed soup to pan, stir in cream and cook for another 5 minutes. Gradually stir in the crumbled bleu cheese until melted (do not let soup boil). Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with the 2 tablespoons of bleu cheese.

Oh, and I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween! I love this holiday it is so much fun!

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