Sweet Potato Soup

Saw a recipe for sweet potato soup on the Good Food web site and thought this would be good for cold evenings.  As usual I tweaked it a little when I started to make it.

Ingredients:
2 medium size sweet potatoes (725g) peeled and grated
2 medium onions (320g) peeled and grated
1 large apple peeled, cored and grated
100g dried red lentils
3 cloves of garlic chopped
3 Tbls olive oil
5 cups (1.25l) vegetable stock using 3 veggie Oxo cubes
1 cup (250ml) of soya milk

Fresh coriander
4 tsps cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika

Method:
1.  Heat a deep heavy sauce pan over a medium heat
2.  Add the olive oil
3.  Add the onions, garlic and apple
4.  Add the cumin, ginger, turmeric and paprika and stir together
5.  Replace sauce pan lid and cook for 5 mins
6.  Add the stock, sweet potato and lentils and stir to combine all the ingredients
7.  Replace the lid and simmer for 15 minutes (stirring occasionally)
8.  Once all the vegetables are tender, add the milk
9.  Stir in the milk, replace lid, then remove from the heat. 
10. Let stand for 5 mins with lid on.
11. Using a hand blender or food processor, blend soup mixture until nice and smooth
12. Add a handful of chopped fresh coriander before serving

This made enough for six to seven large bowlfuls.

Anglesey Eggs

This is a simple dish but does require the use of three saucepans and a baking dish.  But it is worth it.  And best of all is that preparing the potatoes, leeks and eggs can be done at the same time before bringing the dish together. It’s a variation of an Irish Calcannon, but just as tasty.

Ingredients:

Filling:

450g (1 lb, approx 4 medium) potatoes, peeled and diced

250g (1/2 lb) leeks (approx 1 large leek), cut into one inch pieces

4 Medium Eggs

50g (approx 2 oz.) butter

25g (approx 1 oz.) plain flour

50g (approx 2 oz) grated vegetarian hard (cheddar) cheese

250ml (1 cup) soya milk (or milk of your choice)

Salt for seasoning potatoes

½ grated nutmeg (optional - use only if you like nutmeg)

1 Tbl Dijon mustard

Method

1.     Turn on the oven and set to 150 degrees F.
2.    Place the eggs into a saucepan of water, put a lid on the sauce pan.
3. Bring water to a boil and gently boil for three minutes. 

4. Turn off the heat under the eggs and allow them to continue to cook in the boiled water while you prepare the potatoes and leeks.

5.    Boil potatoes in salted water until they are tender.

6.    Drain the potatoes and mash with a potato masher.

7.    Add 25g of butter and continue to mash until they are creamed.

8.    Grate the nutmeg over the mash (if you are adding the nutmeg).

9.    Once the potatoes are on the boil, steam the leek (approximately 8 minutes) until they are tender.

10.  Spoon the leek into the mash and fold the mixture, making sure you don’t break up the leeks too much. 

11.  Spoon the mash/leek mixture into a buttered casserole dish.

12.  Using the back of a spoon, create three troughs so that you can place the hard boiled eggs in.

13.  Peel the hard boiled eggs and cut in half length wise and then them yoke side up in the troughs.

14.  Melt the remaining (25g) butter in a saucepan over a low heat before adding the flour and then whisk to make a roux.

15.  Add the milk a spoonful at a time and continue to whisk the mixture which will slowly become a creamy sauce.

16.  Add the grated cheese and mustard and continue to whisk until all combined.

17.  Pour the cheese sauce over the potato and leek mixture and level it out so that all the mash mixture is covered.

18.  Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake until the cheese has turned a golden brown (around 20-30 minutes). 

We had this served with a side of steamed Brussels sprouts.  However, there is so much flavour that you can eat this dish on its own.