Sweet Potato Bisque with Tangelo Zest
An oh-so-fancy soup that's oh-so-easy to make! Adapted from a recipe in the Vegetarian Times:
1 T. olive oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
1 medium-sized parsnip, chopped but not peeled
1 large carrot, chopped but not peeled
4 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
4 to 6 oranges, clementines, tangelos or tangerines
3 T. dry white vermouth or white wine
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
5 cups veggies stock or water
1 cup raw cashews
1. Put the cashews in a bowl of very warm or hot water and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a soup pot, then add celery, sage, onion, parsnip and carrot. Cook until onion has softened and some of the veggies have begun to brown just a tad on the edges. (About 5-7 minutes)
3. Zest the peels of all of your citrus (oranges or what have you) and set the zest aside, then squeeze all of the juice out of those suckers and set that aside too.
4. Add the sweet potatoes to the other veggies in the pot and cook for 2 minutes, then add the vermouth and bring to high heat. Let the veggies brown a bit on the bottom, on purpose - this'll add flavor. Add the citrus juice nutmeg and ginger and scrape all the yummy brown stuff off the sides and bottom of the pot, stirring it into the veggies with the juice. Add the veggie stock and let simmer until the sweet potatoes are nice and soft - should take about 15-20 minutes.
5. Puree all of the cooked veggies in batches. Drain your cashews, throw them in the blender and add some of the veggie stock from the soup pot, blend until smooth, then stir into the veggie puree. Toss in the citrus zest, stir, serve! You can get all fancy and put the cashew blend into the soup after - put a dolup in the middle of a bowl of the bisque, then, using a knife tip, draw the creamy colored cashew blend into a swirl or other pretty pattern in the center of the bowl.
This soup is *amazing* and makes a good deal. I am serving it up for my roomate and significant other tonight with crusty whole-grain bread and a tossed organic greens salad. Yum. I used tangelos and the vermouth in my version.
1 T. olive oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
1 medium-sized parsnip, chopped but not peeled
1 large carrot, chopped but not peeled
4 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
4 to 6 oranges, clementines, tangelos or tangerines
3 T. dry white vermouth or white wine
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
5 cups veggies stock or water
1 cup raw cashews
1. Put the cashews in a bowl of very warm or hot water and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a soup pot, then add celery, sage, onion, parsnip and carrot. Cook until onion has softened and some of the veggies have begun to brown just a tad on the edges. (About 5-7 minutes)
3. Zest the peels of all of your citrus (oranges or what have you) and set the zest aside, then squeeze all of the juice out of those suckers and set that aside too.
4. Add the sweet potatoes to the other veggies in the pot and cook for 2 minutes, then add the vermouth and bring to high heat. Let the veggies brown a bit on the bottom, on purpose - this'll add flavor. Add the citrus juice nutmeg and ginger and scrape all the yummy brown stuff off the sides and bottom of the pot, stirring it into the veggies with the juice. Add the veggie stock and let simmer until the sweet potatoes are nice and soft - should take about 15-20 minutes.
5. Puree all of the cooked veggies in batches. Drain your cashews, throw them in the blender and add some of the veggie stock from the soup pot, blend until smooth, then stir into the veggie puree. Toss in the citrus zest, stir, serve! You can get all fancy and put the cashew blend into the soup after - put a dolup in the middle of a bowl of the bisque, then, using a knife tip, draw the creamy colored cashew blend into a swirl or other pretty pattern in the center of the bowl.
This soup is *amazing* and makes a good deal. I am serving it up for my roomate and significant other tonight with crusty whole-grain bread and a tossed organic greens salad. Yum. I used tangelos and the vermouth in my version.