Roasted Garlic and Yam Soup

Hey Friends! I realize its been a while since I updated my blog... Not even going to try to make excuses for whats going on or why I haven't been posting much. What I am going to do is bring you a delicious soup that will warm you through and through despite this cold weather we've all been having. A delicious roasted garlic and yam soup.

This soup is a bit time consuming due to the many layers of flavours that go into it! You can make the veggie stock a day or two before and you can roast the veggies ahead of time too if you want to speed up the process. If you really don't have time and need to skip one of the steps - just buy the veggie stock. Don't skip roasting the veg - it adds such a delish layer of flavours that you can't miss out on to enjoy the true delightfulness of this soup.

First things first - make the veggie stock. You can find a delish recipe here - though it will make more than you need for this recipe, just freeze the rest and use it up as you see fit. Next you can get started on the recipe below. 

Roasted Garlic and Yam Soup

Minimally adapted from Rebar

Ingredients:

• 6 cups veggie stock (recipe linked above)
• 3 large yams
• 2 heads of garlic
• 4 roma tomatoes
• 2 red peppers
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp minced fresh sage
• 2 tbsp minced fresh oregano
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder
• pinch of allspice
• 2 tsp chipotle puree (puree one can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and measure out 2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• juice of one lime
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Using a fork, pork a few holes in each yam. Cut the top 1/4 off the garlic to expose each of the pieces of garlic inside, drizzle each head with olive oil then wrap in foil. Place yams and garlic on a baking tray and roast in preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes. Yams may need a bit longer, but garlic should come out after 45 minutes. Yams are done when they are very tender. Cool slightly, then remove yams and garlic from their skin.
2. Halve and seed the peppers. Place peppers and whole tomatoes on a well-oiled baking tray and roast until skins are browned and puffed (about 15 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for approximately 10 minutes. Peel away the skins and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large soup pot, add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic, spices and herbs and cook until garlic is fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir in the peeled, roasted veggies, the stock and the chipotle puree. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Puree the soup until smooth. Whisk in maple syrup and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot and topped with crushed tortilla chips and a bit of cheese. Also delicious with a dallop of sour cream or greek yogurt.

Happy Cooking my Friends! What have you been cooking and baking lately?

How To... Roast Peppers

 Once you're finished judging me for how dirty my oven is, take a look at my step-by-step photos to learn how to make roasted peppers. No more buying those expensive little jars at the grocery store (come on - $5 for the smallest jar?!). Roasted peppers are great to have on hand to top pizza, sandwiches & wraps or to blend up in pasta sauce or dipping sauces etc. They add a sort of gourmet flair that will always impress people and they're super easy to make yourself. I made mine indoors because its cold and snowy here, so no grilling for me, but you can definitely make these on the grill (in fact you should make them on the grill if you can!!).

So first step (pictured above) - place a couple of peppers in your oven (gas oven is best if doing this indoors). Set oven to broil. Close the oven door and check back every 5-10 minutes or so. Turn the peppers using tongs once each side starts to blacken (you don't want it to char - it should just start to go black). Once all sides have lightly coloured, remove from the oven and place in a heatproof bowl.

 Cover the bowl and let sit until cool enough to handle (I left mine about 20 - 30 minutes).

Remove the roasted peppers to a cutting board. Peel away the skin (it should come off super easy now that they've been steaming in your container for a little bit). Remove the stem and all seeds.

Then cut peppers into thin strips and refrigerate until you use them. They will keep for a week or so in the fridge. You can freeze them too and then you'll always have them on hand in case you need them in a pinch.

I bet you didn't know it was that easy did you?! Hope you learned something new today stopping by my blog. See you again soon.

Happy Cooking my Friends!