Roasted sweet potato and peanut soup

This soup was supposed to be a clean-out-the-fridge kinda dish. I needed to use up an open container of vegetable stock, some sweet potatoes and dried out bread, and decided to make roasted sweet potato soup. I didn’t mean for it to be a “blog recipe” but it turned out to be one of the best and most beautiful soups I’ve ever made (this Thai chicken soup is a close second). I also caught a pretty bad cold the next day and it was exactly what I needed to make me feel human again. The ginger, garlic and cayenne make the soup warming and comforting, and sinus-clearing, too - a total winner. But by no means do you have to be sick to enjoy it.

(Yield: 6 servings)
Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and roughly diced
2 large garlic cloves, skin on
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt + pepper
3/4 tsp ground cumin, divided
1 quart vegetable stock (organic, low sodium, if possible)
1/2″ ginger root, peeled, finely diced
1/2″ turmeric root, peeled, finely diced (or 3/4 tsp turmeric powder)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp all-natural peanut butter
Croutons, for garnish (recipe below)
Cilantro, for garnish

Procedure: Heat oven to 400F. Place onions, garlic cloves and sweet potatoes on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp cumin. Toss to coat evenly. Roast until vegetables are caramelized, tossing once halfway, for about 35 min. In the meantime, bring stock to a boil along with ginger and turmeric. Add roasted vegetables, cayenne, the remaining 1/4 tsp cumin, and pinches of salt and pepper. Bring to boil, crack the lid, turn the heat down to low and simmer 15 min. Take off heat and taste broth - re-season if necessary. Add peanut butter and blend until smooth, using an immersion blender.

To make croutons, cut day-old bread into cubes. Place into a skillet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Season with a bit of salt, toss to coat and toast over medium-low heat until crispy, tossing frequently. Serve soup hot, garnished with chopped cilantro and croutons. The soup can be refrigerated for up to five days.