Yes, my friends, it is soup season again. I adore soup season, as you can probably tell from a quick glance through the archives of this site. Soup recipes abound. Soup is one of the easiest things to cook, and to experiment with—you can make delicious soup of of nearly anything. Most of the soup I make is vegetarian, if not vegan, so this particular soup is a bit different for me. I originally flagged it in the October 2007 issue of Bon Appetit, but just got around to make it a few weeks ago, on a chilly October day, when Mr. X was visiting. I figured he would appreciate a hearty, flavorful soup made with chorizo. And he did.
This soup is a total winner: spicy and thick with potatoes, dotted with silky bits of spinach, and easy peasy. I used a Mexican-style chorizo, rather than the linguica in the original recipe. And for the first time ever I saw yams and sweet potatoes side by side in the supermarket and truly realized what a big difference there is. The sweet potatoes I used in this soup were firmer than yams, and paler in color. I suspect yams would work just fine if it’s all you can get your hands on, but I recommend sweet potatoes.
I also added a tiny bit of cinnamon, because I was curious how it would taste, and it tasted great. The cinnamon flavor was definitely noticeable, though, so if you’re not sure about it, feel free to leave it out, or substitute for a bit of cumin, perhaps.
Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup
Adapted from Bon Appetit
- about 2 T. olive oil
- about 9 oz. Mexican chorizo (crumbly, not cured)
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 32-oz. container of chicken stock
- 3 c. fresh spinach, cleaned and chopped into small pieces
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the chorizo to the pot, and use a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, or until the sausage is mostly cooked through. Stir in the onions and cook until they’re soft and translucent, about five more minutes. Then add the garlic and cinnamon, and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the potatoes until they’re well coated in oil and cook for just a few minutes before adding the stock.
Stir well, bring the stock to a boil, and then lower the heat so the soup is simmering. Let it cook for at least 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Then stir in the spinach just until it’s wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
I was never a big fan of winter when I lived in Boston, and I’m not going to pretend that I’m not a little disappointed that I haven’t managed to escape places where it snows quite yet. But big pots of soup, hot apple cider, and cozy sweaters do make me a little grateful for cold weather. And now that I live in a smaller, newer house with gas heating, as opposed to the huge, drafty house with expensive oil heating, I think winter will be just that much more pleasant. Heating and soup will get me through this one just fine, I think.