Sweet potato and chipotle soup

I heard about this soup recently and decided to look it up and make it, since I have sweet potatoes to use up and the combination with chipotle sounds interesting.  I’m using a recipe from Martha Stewart that I’ve modified to make vegetarian (vegetable stock instead of chicken).

I’m not always into the smoky chipotle flavor (maybe because I didn’t grow up eating barbecue), but thought it would go well with sweet potatoes.  One thing about the pepper that got confirmed with this soup is how hot it can be, especially in the adobo sauce.

Even though I used about 1 pepper, it turned out hotter than what I thought my husband and toddler could handle.  So I added some sugar and milk to make it more of a cream soup.  I garnished it with plain yogurt instead of sour cream, and topped with tortilla chips.  It was good, in a nose-running, tongue-burning way that I enjoy.  Another option would be go really low on the chipotle.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 medium sweet potatoes (2 pounds total), peeled and cut
• 1/2 to 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
• 7 cups vegetable broth
• Sour cream, for serving (or plain yogurt, esp. Greek)
• Toasted flour tortilla wedges, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over mediumhigh. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beginning to brown around edges, about 7 minutes. Add cumin and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sweet potatoes, chile, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until sweet potatoes can be mashed easily with a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Let soup cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return pureed soup to pot over low heat and season with salt and pepper. Top soup with sour cream and serve with tortilla wedges, if desired.