Sweet Potato, Apple and Ginger Soup

You could probably live solely on soup (not that I'm recommending it as a diet!) and it really is so simple. Soup= what veg you have in the cupboard plus stock. I've heard people say that when they make soup it either ends up the consistency of baby-food or a watery mess and unfortunately there is no exact science. After the first 500ml or so I usually add the stock slowly, letting the veg cook until I get that nice consistency that slowly runs off the spoon.

This soup was a bit of an experiment and I think it worked nicely. Sweet potatoes are quite widely available now and recent bouts of roasting them a la Donal Skehan in his new book 'Kitchen Hero' inspired me to try them in soup. I used a cooking apple, rather than an eating apple as I thought the soup could end up overly sweet. The ginger adds a nice kick.

1 onion
3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cooking apple, peeled and diced
2 tbsp of chopped raw ginger
approx 700ml veg stock
ground black pepper
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped

Fry the onion over a low heat until soft but not coloured. Add the apple and sweet potato and fry for about 5-6 minutes until soft on the outside but still hard on the inside. Finally add the ginger and thyme and fry for 3 minutes.

Add the stock, 500ml first and let the veg simmer until soft through and the apple has disintegrated slightly. I think its a good idea to let the soup cool now, then blend until smooth. The soup will be quite thick now so add the remaining water gradually until you are happy with the consistency.

Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve with crusty bread.