Sweet Potato and Orange Soup with Smoky Pecans

I may sound like a broken record, but I just can't say enough good things about Joe Yonan's cookbooks. His easy and delicious recipes make each meal something to look forward to, even when my dining companions are just the characters in a novel I'm reading. Making a concentrated soup base to switch up with each meal is an absolutely genius way to both plan ahead and decide on the fly what have for dinner, and as I predicted, my second foray into that territory was just as wonderful as the first.

The sweet potato soup base, as its name would imply, has an inherent sweetness, but thinning it with orange juice adds an extra nuanced layer balanced with enough acidity to keep it from becoming cloying. Creme fraiche and the spiced oil add richness, along with their respective tanginess and smokiness, with a final accent of toasted pecans to contrast the sumptuously silky soup. Each ingredient is a delightful touch even solo, but together they achieve a sublime, delicious balance.

After enjoying the soup base and two variations, I'm definitely ready to but my personal touch on the final portion in my freezer. And after that's gone, it's on to spicy black bean soup base!

Sweet Potato and Orange Soup with Smoky Pecans
adapted from Serve Yourself by Joe Yonan
makes 1 serving

1 cup Sweet Potato Soup Base, defrosted if frozen (see recipe below)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup water or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
Kosher or sea salt
2 tablespoons pecan halves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika) or ground chipotle chile
2 tablespoons creme fraiche, sour cream, or yogurt, whisked until smooth
Finely grated zest of 1 orange

1. Pour the soup base into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the orange juice and water, adding more water if you want a thinner consistency. Cook until the soup is bubbling hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and keep it hot.

2. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pecans and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are fragrant and start to darken, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the oil, stir in the pimenton, and cook for another 30 seconds to dissolve the spice. Use a heatproof spatula to scrape the spiced oil and pecans into a small bowl.

3. Pour the soup into a serving bowl, dollop the crème fraîche in the middle, and top with the pecans and spiced oil. Sprinkle the orange zest on top, and eat.

Sweet Potato Soup Base
from Serve Yourself by Joe Yonan
makes about 4 cups

2 (10- to 12-ounce) sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 small leek, white and pale greens, thinly sliced
2 sprigs thyme
Kosher or sea salt
Pinch of curry powder
2 cups light chicken or vegetable stock, warmed

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Use a fork or sharp knife to prick the sweet potatoes in several places. Place on a piece of aluminum foil
and bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and can be easily squeezed, 60 to 75 minutes.
(Alternatively, to speed up the process, microwave the pricked sweet potatoes on High for 1 minute,
then carefully transfer to the oven on a piece of foil. Bake until the potatoes are tender, 30 to 45
minutes.)

3. Pour the oil into a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to shimmer, add the carrots,
celery, leek, thyme, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine well, then decrease the heat to low, cover the
pot, and allow the vegetables to sweat in their own juices until very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. (Take care
not to allow the vegetables to burn.)

4. Scrape into the saucepan the soft flesh from the roasted sweet potatoes, add the curry powder, and stir
to combine, mashing the sweet potato flesh with a spoon. The mixture will be chunky. Stir in the stock
and combine well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then decrease the heat so the mixture gently simmers, and
cook, covered but with the lid slightly ajar, for about 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. Allow the mixture
to cool slightly, then remove and discard the thyme.

5. Use a handheld immersion blender to puree the soup base, which will be very thick. (Alternatively, you
can puree it in a blender or food processor. If using a blender, be sure to remove the center cap on the
lid and cover with a dish towel to let steam escape, and work in small batches to avoid splattering the
soup.) Taste and add salt if needed.

6. Let the soup base cool to room temperature. Divide it into 4 portions and use immediately, refrigerate
for up to 2 weeks, or freeze in small containers or heavy-duty freezer-safe resealable plastic bags,
pressing as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing. It will keep frozen for several months.

Roasted Beet, Orange, and Goat Cheese Salad

As lame as it may sound, Roasted Beet and Potato Borscht got me really excited about beets. Thus armed with a new-found love for the roasted variety, I turned to one of my favorite canvases for recipe creation - salad. I eat salad for lunch at least four times a week, so I have plenty of opportunity for experimentation and get geekily excited when I come up with something new. Since I'm married to someone who would prefer to subsist on meat and potatoes, I bring this recipe to you. Many of the salads I create are wonderful in any season, but roasted beets give this one the very essence of winter. Though I was never one to order or make anything with beets in the past, I knew that beet and orange was a tried-and-true combination and used it as a place to begin crafting my recipe. From there, the rest was a snap - add some red onion to cut through the sweetness of the beets and orange, and nuts and cheese for richness and saltiness and to make it filling enough for a main course. If a winter diet of too many root vegetables is weighing you down, use this recipe to lighten up a bit without losing the best flavor the season has to offer.

Roasted Beet, Orange, and Goat Cheese Salad
serves 1 (as a main dish)

2 ounces lettuce, mixed greens, or spinach (about 2 cups)
4 ounces beets, peeled and cut into small dice (a few small beets or 1/2 medium to large beet)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 0.5 ounce)
Clementine, satsuma, or half of a small regular or blood orange, cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup/1 ounce crumbled goat or feta cheese
2 tablespoons/0.5 ounce toasted chopped walnuts or pistachios

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss beets with olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast until beets are tender and caramelized, about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.

2. Arrange greens on a large plate, and top with onion, beets, oranges, cheese, and nuts. Drizzle with dressing of choice and enjoy!

Cranberry, Ginger and Orange Chutney

Even though I'm clearly someone who loves to experiment in the kitchen, when it comes to holidays, I'm mostly a traditionalist. It doesn't mean that every dish on my holiday table is completely simplified, but I just don't think this is the time of year to be throwing chili powder into my cranberry sauce. This cranberry sauce nicely bridges traditional flavors with creativity, using the classic combinations of cranberry and orange and cranberry and ginger to great effect. My love for Joanne Chang was well-documented on this blog just earlier this week, and if you've come to trust in her palate after trying Thai Red Curry Squash Soup, I encourage to try her cranberry chutney recipe for your next holiday celebration. This cranberry sauce is a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and acidic flavors, but not too exotic that those with not-terribly-adventurous palates will run from the dinner table. That being said, if you're feeding people who truly flavor-phobic, this recipe sans balsamic vinegar and ginger is still a wonderfully balanced combination of cranberries and oranges, which would be delightful served with turkey, chicken, or even pork. While I enjoyed a healthy helping of this on Thanksgiving day, perhaps my favorite use was the cranberry chutney, sharp cheddar, and turkey melt I made on black Friday while tucked safely away in my home, as far from the madding crowd of shoppers as humanly possible.
Cranberry, Ginger and Orange Chutney 
from Joanne Chang via Food and Wine
makes about 5 1/2 cups

2 large navel oranges 
2 pounds fresh cranberries

1/2 cup water 
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
3/4 cup granulated sugar 
3/4 cup light brown sugar 
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
   
1. Using a sharp knife, peel the oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into the bowl. Cut the orange sections into 1-inch pieces.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries and water with 1/4 cup of orange juice from the bowl and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, both sugars, the ginger and orange pieces and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

   

The chutney can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.