Creamy Sweet Potato Soup With Mesquite Mushrooms & Crispy Sage V, Vg, Gf

A creamy, velvet winter soup made with garden fresh vegetables and herbs that is bursting with flavors and textures. My girlfriend Jen has recently started a huge organic fruit and vegetable plot. I was so blessed to have received produce from her garden. And that's what I used to make this delicious soup; sweet potatoes, thyme, tomatoes, chili peppers and sage. To give the soup some texture and an added layer of flavor, I caramelized mushrooms with mesquite liquid smoke, salt, black pepper and marsala wine.

I served this with warm baguettes and garlic and parsley buttered Cheddar Bay biscuits.

Course Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American fusion, British fusion

Keyword creamy soup, sweet potato, winter soup

orange orange

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings Servings

Calories 325kcal

Author Dr. Wendy Dearborne

Equipment

Immersion blender
Large stock pot with tight fitting lid

Ingredients

4 cups sweet potatoes peeled washed and cut into large cubes
2 cups of carrots cut into large cubes
1 large onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
4 large garlic cloves chopped
1 cup tomatoes chopped reserve a few pieces for garnish
2 sprigs fresh thyme
8 fresh sage leaves washed and dried
4 cups stock
1 tsp mushroom seasoning powder
1 tbsp white miso paste
1/2 tsp sugar
1.5 cups coconut milk reserve 1 tbsp for garnish
16 oz sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp marsala wine or white wine
1/2 tsp mesquite liquid smoked
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black pepper
1 tbsp Chili oil
2-4 tbsp cooking oil or clarified butter

Instructions

Crispy sage leaves

Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat. Fry the sage for 10-15 seconds on each side. It only takes a few seconds for them to crisp up. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

Making soup base

To the sage infused oil, add thyme sprigs and chopped onions along with a pinch of salt sauté until they begin to soften.
Add celery and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add garlic and carrots and another pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes stirring constantly.
Cover with lid and reduce heat to low and sweat the vegetables for 15-20 minutes.
To a small bowl, add miso paste and 3-4 tbsp of stock. Whisk until a runny paste has been formed. Add this to the stock, mix well and set aside.
After the vegetables have sweated, increase heat to medium high. Add the mushroom seasoning, tomatoes, all the cubed potatoes and another pinch of salt and stir well to coat.
Add miso stock mixture and sugar. Stir well bring to a boil. Cover with the lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Mesquite mushrooms

While the potatoes are simmering prepare the mushrooms.
In a large frying pan over medium high heat place all the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt. The mushrooms will release a lot of liquid. This is normal.
Once the mushrooms begin to release their liquid, add the liquid smoke and chili oil.
Mix well and then leave it undisturbed until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushroom turn a golden brown. Flip the mushrooms over to brown the other side. This can take approximately 10-15 minutes. Once browned, add the masala wine and sauté until the alcohol has evaporated.
Remove from pan and set aside.

Making soup

Once the potatoes are fork tender turn the heat off and REMOVE the stems from the thyme sprigs. Leaving the stems in can cause your soup to taste bitter.
Using your immersion blender process until a smooth purée has been created. Keep blending until the purée is smooth. This is what will create the base for the velvet texture.
At this point check for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Turn heat back on to medium low and add the coconut milk and stir well. If the soup is too thick for you add more HOT stock or coconut milk stirring well between each addition. Add 1/4 cup at a time until the desired thickness has been achieved.
Heat the soup until hot, but not boiling, approximately 5-7 minutes.

Putting it all together

Ladle soup into bowls. Add 1-2 tbsp of masala mushrooms, 2 tomato wedges, a drizzle of coconut milk and a couple of crispy sage leaves.
Serve with freshly baked warm bread.

Notes

Substitutions

Marsala wine can be substituted with Sherry, white wine, cognac, brandy or left out.

For a soy free version use chickpea miso.

Coconut milk can be substituted with a plant based milk of your choice or 1/2 & 1/2.

Storage

Soup can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in your refrigerator.

I store mine in mason jars in both the refrigerator and freezer. Make sure that your mason jar is freezer safe and will not crack or break.

You can use Ziploc bags or plastic storage containers. Once again, make sure that they are freezer safe.

Reheating

Pour the soup into a pot and gently reheat on the stove top, over medium low heat. Stir frequently. Do not let it come to a boil as this may cause the coconut milk to separate. Add a couple tablespoons of water or stock if necessary.

Nutrition