Recipe: Curried Apple and Sweet Potato Soup

Curried Apple and Sweet Potato Soup
Source: Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread by Crescent Dragonwagon (Workman Publishing)
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1/4 cup dark raisins
1 (12 ounces) light pilsner beer
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon best-quality curry powder
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
Pam cooking spray
3 to 4 cups any well-flavored vegetable stock
1/4 cup thawed frozen apple juice concentrate, or more to taste
1 piece (1 inch) cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon tamari/shoyu soy sauce, or more to taste
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and finely diced
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
1 red-skinned apple, cored and cut into large julienne, for garnish
Creme Fraiche, sour cream, or plain yogurt, for garnish
Thin lemon wedges, for serving

In a bowl, soak the raisins in the beer for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

When you are ready to start making the soup, melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the diced apples and saute again until some what softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the curry powder, turn down the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Stir in the ginger and cook 2 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, drain the raisins, reserving both the beer and the raisins.

Sprinkle the flour over the apple mixture and cook over low heat 1 minute. Gradually add the beer, stirring to smooth any lumps, and cook until hot, smooth, and free of a floury taste, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a food processor. Add the raisins and buzz until smooth.

Spray a heavy enameled soup pot with the Pam, and in it combine the stock, apple juice concentrate, cinnamon stick, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, add the sweet potatoes, and turn down the heat. Simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cinnamon stick from the hot stock and stir in the apple puree. Season with salt and white pepper. You may wish to add a bit more apple juice concentrate to sweeten it, a pinch of cayenne if you want it spicier, and/or a little more soy sauce. Simmer over low heat for several minutes more to meld the flavors.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls, sprinkle each bowl with the julienned apple, and top with a generous dollop of creme fraiche, sour cream, or yogurt. Pass the lemon wedges at the table; a squeeze sets this soup off nicely, but it's also good without.

Variations:
*For a more peasanty main dish, add 1 or 2 chopped tomatoes to the apple saute before adding the flour and cook until most of the tomato juice evaporates. Add 1 can (15 ounces) chick-peas to the soup with the apple puree and thin the soup with a little stock. This combination sounds improbable, but it's surprisingly good and satisfying. No apple or creme fraiche garnish, though.

*Measure leftover soup and pour it into a food processor. Add half as much heavy or light cream, or milk thickened with cornstarch, and puree. Heat through. This makes a more elegant soup, suitable as a starter for a sophisticated dinner.