‘CAN I HAVE YOUR RECIPE?’ friends ask each other, back and forth after delicious meals served with love and hopefully a side order of tasty conversation. But so often it’s not “my” recipe, or “yours” that’s on the table, but one that we have found in a cookbook that became identified with us by those we served it to—friends and family who ask us to make “our” dish again. The actual provenance, though, remains the same: “My” sweet potato-greens soup with sage and garlic is actually Anna Thomas’s Green Soup With Sweet Potatoes and Sage, from her James Beard Award-winning cookbook, “Love Soup.” I bought more copies of that great book to share with you, reminded by (and grateful for) the latest pot of soup I made for the freezer this week, like this:
You’ll notice that I said sweet potato-greens soup in the headline, though Anna Thomas’s original has it the other way round, with the greens first. I suspect her soup is greener in color than mine comes out, too. That why I say mine is an adaptation (that, and the fact that once I read a recipe and follow it the first time, I rarely look again, and just keep on adapting).
my version of sweet potato-greens soup with sage
Note: This soup freezes very well, but as with all soups, I refrigerate it for a day first to let the flavors meld.
ingredients
- 1¼-2 pounds sweet potatoes (Anna recommends 1¼; I use about 2 to shift the flavor and color balance)
- 1½ tsp. sea salt
- 2 to 3 Tbsp. sage leaves chopped
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 bunch chard
- 8 cloves garlic
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups of water
- 2 large yellow onions
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- black pepper
- really good olive oil for garnish
steps
Peel and cube the sweets, and put them with the chopped sage and the salt in a big pot, adding 3 cups or so of water over them, and simmering, covered, till soft.
Meantime saute the diced onions till soft and golden brown, in the olive oil.
Chop the washed greens coarsely while all that’s happening.
Add the greens and the whole garlic cloves and the broth to the sweet potato mixture, and let that all soften by simmering awhile longer, covered.
Add the cooked onions. (I deglaze the onion pan with a bit of the broth to get all the good flavor from the oil and onion bits, wasting nothing.)
Let the mixture cool enough to blend thoroughly. Using an immersion blender right in the pot, I puree the soup, and adjust the liquid if needed.
And then, as Anna Thomas says, drizzle with a fruity olive oil before serving. “This last step is essential,” she reminds us. Agreed. Drizzle away, and enjoy.
(I saw a variation Anna Thomas did on the “Eating Well” website, with spinach instead of chard and the choice of Japanese yams or sweet potatoes. You can find that one here if you happen to be long in spinach at the moment.)
more
how to win a copy of ‘love soup’
I’M CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS, and especially cookbooks (and field guides, and novels, and garden books, and … oh dear). Anna Thomas’s “Love Soup” is as good as it gets–about one of my favorite dishes, soup, and vegetarian and good-for-you fresh to boot. The million-selling author of “The Vegetarian Epicure” wrote another winner, and I gave away some copies when it first came out, but why not do it again? Just answer this question in the comments below to enter:
What’s the most popular soup in your house, and where did the original recipe come from?Feeling shy (or no soup in the house)? Just say, “Count me in,” and I will.
Two winners will be chosen at random after entries close at midnight Sunday, October 21. Good luck to all.
(Disclaimer: Any small commissions I earn from purchases made from Amazon links in this post go to purchasing the books I buy to give away.)
We love split pea with ham hock. We all love the taste, & I love how easy it is: one package of split peas, 1 ham hock, 1 diced onion, and as many carrots as you like. Just simmer till done and it’s a meal! Soup is so great because it comes together easily, cooks easily and feels so comforting.
Love soup! Such a great foil for leftovers and whatever bounty of veggies are at hand. Also, love my friend, Nikki’s split pea soup – YUM!
My favorite-oyster stew. my dad would make 2 things: doughnut (from the Better Home and Garden cookbook, and Oyster Stew. We now serve Oyster stew on Christmas Eve for a light diner. Mmmmm memories……
We love a roasted spicy curry squash soup. I originally ate something like it at the Sun Valley Talent Lodge. The chef didn’t say exactly what was in it, but I think we’ve come pretty close to duplicating the recipe. Boy would I love to get my hands on the original! My husband laughed when I told him that I was entering to win a cookbook, our shelves are full of them and gardening books.
Galena lodge…auto correct put in talent.
Oh, dear! I’m a bonafide Homemade Soup Junkie and asking me to pick a favorite is nearly impossible. The problem is, you see, I don’t think I’ve ever met a homemade soup I didn’t like. I make soup several times a month because that’s my go-to way of using the last of the leftovers. That mean, of course, we often have a really delicious soup we’ll probably never have again — unless I happen to have that exact same combination of leftovers. If I really have to pick one favorite soup, it’d be Navy Bean Soup, the way my mom used to make it, with a big ole ham bone, lots of onions and celery and her “secret ingredient”, just the barest hint of sage. Hummmm, good!
We love wild rice soup here. Can’t remember where my mom got the recipe but it has been going in the family for years.
Count me in ! I would love a free book on soup! My grandmother made a wonderful potatoe corn chowder – but alas the recipe died with her.
We have many favorites, but the most favored one is Cream of Mushroom. I found the recipe in the cookbook “Applehood and Mother Pie” which is a collection of recipes from the Junior League in Rochester, New York and many fine feasts can be found in the pages of it!
Have read reviews of this book and looks great. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and thank you for this opportunity.
Chicken noodle!!! THE BEST soup, recipe courtesy of my Grandmother!
After a week of thinking, I decided that although rare the favorite soup in our household is porcini and barley soup. I can’t say it was handed down to me from my mother, because I have never received a recipe for it, but I do cook the way I remember her cooking it (or what I remember seeing in the plate).
Thank you for sharing with us these amazing resources!
Probably my fav soup is chicken soup which I love to make, because it’s wonderful comfort food!
Thanks for a great web site.
I’d like to toss my name in the hat for the cookbook. Our family favorite – right now – is a wonderful fish soup that is our Christmas Eve tradition. Can’t remember where I found the recipe.
As for me, a big bowl of soup and some crusty bread is a meal in itself! Every “recipe box” that I’ve saved on countless websites is chock full of soup recipes. This year I joined a CSA and I’m especially enjoying using all my organic produce in some great soup recipes. I think my all-time favorite is “Winter Minestrone” which I found on http://www.myrecipes.com. Butternut squash, zucchini, Swiss chard … YUM! Anna Thomas’s book sums up how I feel … I really do “Love Soup.”
Count me in! My favorite soup recipe is homemade chicken noodle soup. The recipe was a friend’s who made the soup. I don’t have it written down but I can remember the ingredients (somewhat) when he made the soup. The recipe has gone with him as he is departed from this life.
My favorite is potato and cabbage.
We love grandma’s italian chicken soup with orzo, and a close second is potato leak soup
Everyone loves corn chowder in my house. We make it with sweet potato and sometimes throw in the left over bit from a lobster feed. Lots of butter, onions and evaporated milk make it yummy!
Saturday night we had dinner at a friend’s who served a rib roast – guess who took home the bones, and a pot of beef/mushroom/barley is bubbling away on the stove – the house smells fantastic . I’ll be trying the sweet potato w/ greens next time – thanks for a new recipe !
Ours is French Onion soup and the recipe originated in St Louis at a Famous Barr store which is no longer! It was a May Dept store and their restaurant had the most delectable soup. I received the recipe from them before they closed their doors.
THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED, but we’re always happy to hear any soup suggestions! Join in the conversation anytime.
And the winners of the “Love Soup” cookbooks are:
Miriam (who likes many flavors) and Deborah (a lover of potato leek). Thanks to all for great answers, as ever.
Thanks for this recipe. I need to eat more greens so I will definitely try this recipe. Sorry I missed the contest.
My favorite is my mother-in-law’s Italian wedding soup
So good on a cold day!
I love anything with lentils… warm, requires chopping,
stirring and attention. Kitchen time is soothing and community.
Hi, Karen. I love lentils, too. Just had lentil soup yesterday from a big batch I made and froze. And you are right: kitchen time is soothing. See you soon.
I tried this recipe and it is really great!. An easy way to eat kale with all its vitamins and goodness. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you like, Sandie. Anna Thomas (whose “Love Soup” inspired it as mentioned) is a favorite of mine.
PLEASE COUNT ME IN~~THANKS
Hmm… most recently Thai style coconut milk soup with lemongrass, tomatoes, hot peppers, and miso. Our own recipe. :)
Oh gosh, that’s hard. It’s probably a toss up between Mom’s minestrone or her cheese potato. The minestrone is really everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soup with a tomato base and parmigiano reggiano. The cheese potato is vegetable base, finely sliced potatoes, carrots, celery, red and green peppers, and then a whole lotta chedder. It ends up creamy and cheesy, not stringy.
My husband loves simple clear broth chicken soup with gizzards, the heart, neck bone, carrots and onions while I enjoy experimenting with soups for a variety of color, texture, and taste. My favorite is unclear broth chicken soup with white meat, carrots, celery, broccoli, peas, green squash, scallions, onions, garlic, and wild and white rice. This makes a wonderful gift when someone is under the weather. This books sounds yummy, so I’m sorry I missed the contest.
Lentil soup with lotsa greens in it. And it came from me – love my lentils and my greens. Know I would love and use “love soup”!
Oops! See I was way late on this one! So I think I’ll just have to order this book.
Count me in please!
This most popular soup at my house Caramelized Leek and Mushroom Soup with Crisp Cheese Croutons is from http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/RecipeController?language=EN&recipeType=1&action=recipe&recipeID=2888. So very yummy. I made it today, sans the croutons.
Hi, Diane. It’s a great soup, and a great must-have book! Highly recommended; I give it a lot as a gift.
One of my favorites is a Chicken Chili recipe given to me by my granddaughter Laurel, and served to me for the first time on Christmas Eve many years ago.
I love soups, it’s hard to choose just one but I’d have to say that good ol chicken noodle is a favorite. Next best is curried lenti.
Nice to see you, Cathy. Curried lentil sounds great!