Roasted Sweet Potato, Ginger and Cinnamon Soup

Recipe serves: 4
A Little Background This is a great winter soup. At a time of year when we are probably eating a little bit too much of the good stuff in life such as butter, cream and rich desserts, this soup is the perfect option to lighten our dietary load. You’ll find that thanks to the sweet potato’s much lower glycaemic rating than regular potato you won’t find the inevitable post eating blood sugar spike and subsequent crash of many energy rich winter meals. Add to that ginger’s excellent properties as a digestive aid and you have a great start on helping your body deal with a lot of those richer meals you’ve been eating. Then take the ultimate comfort spice; cinnamon and your soul will also thank you for making this soup as tonight’s dinner. Not to mention that it is such an easy recipe to make your hands will thank you too. What you'll need 150 grams (5.3 oz) diced onion (approx 1 medium sized onion) 2 tbsps finely chopped ginger 2 tsps finely chopped garlic 900 grams (2 lbs) (approx 2 medium sized) sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped 60 ml (1/4 cup) white wine 1.5 litres chicken stock 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ tsp ground cinnamon Sea salt Freshly cracked black pepper
What to do In a large saucepan or stockpot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until translucent while stirring continuously (approx 3 minutes). Turn heat to high for 1 minute, while continuing to stir. Add the wine and deglaze the pot. Add the sweet potato and sauté a further 4 minutes. Once the sweet potato is starting to colour, add a splash of the stock and deglaze the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the remainder of the stock and the cinnamon. Bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for 30-40 minutes (until sweet potato is soft and mushy). Remove from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor or use a hand held stick blender, process the soup until smooth. Return to heat to warm up. Taste for seasoning and adjust as required. Serve with crusty bread, and a dollop of low fat yoghurt or light sour cream in each bowl. Can be made as a vegetarian soup, using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.