Tomato Sweet Potato Bisque

By á-51103

I pair tomatoes with sweet potatoes here; their starchy earthiness tempers the tomato's acid. The result is creamy, naturally sweet, and deeply satisfying. Original recipe courtesy "Cooking with Love: Comfort Food that Hugs You," by Carla Hall.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
• 1 jumbo sweet onion, coarsely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 fresh basil leaves
• One 14.5-ouncecan diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 Quart Vegetable Stock (page 55) or store-bought unsalted vegetable broth, plus more if desired
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from eatingwell.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until just hot. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions just turn translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the (*jalapeno,) garlic, thyme, and basil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are nice and brown, about 7 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, then stir in the stock and sweet potato. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Simmer until the sweet potato is very, very tender, about 1 hour. The sweet potatoes should be soft enough to mash easily with the back of a spoon

Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Using an immersion blender or stand blender (working in batches if necessary), puree until silky smooth. Reheat the soup over low heat. Stir in the cream. For a thinner soup: stir in more stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Catering Like Carla:
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a more refined soup.

* 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (Originally in the recipe.)

Recipe Summary
Main Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, carrots, sweet onion, roasted tomatoes, vegetable stock, sweet potato, heavy cream