Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup

It is cold.

As I sit typing away, the wind is shrieking straight out of the north. It is a mere 6 degrees in the garden right now, and it's likely that the last turnips and greens will be dead tomorrow, even if the plastic tunnels don't come undone in the wind. Many schools in the area are closed tomorrow due to -30 degree wind chills, and though mine isn't one of them, hope springs eternal.

So, yeah: it's cold. Definitely a soup night. And a soup lunch tomorrow, whether I get to eat it at home or have to carry it to school (I pre-packed to appease the gods of the jinx):

This is a great soup for a cold night. Kirk riffed on a Jamie Oliver recipe (brought to our attention by a good friend), and it is delicious: a sweet and spicy soup that warms you twice over. Here's Kirk's take on it, which makes use of our winter veggies and adds some sundried tomatoes for a summery kick. He also decided against pureeing the whole thing, which was a great improvement. I also like that this recipe is easy to remember, with just two of each ingredient (except the tomato).

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup

2 leeks

2 carrots

2 ribs of celery

2 cloves of garlic

2 links of chorizo, cut into small rounds

2 sweet potatoes, cubed

2 quarts of chicken stock

2 leaves of kale, finely chopped

6-8 sundried tomatoes, cut into strips

2 tsp. curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

Chop the leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté in butter in a large stock pot. While the veggies soften, brown the chorizo in a separate pan, them add to the stock pot and mix with the veggies. Add the sweet potatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the sundried tomatoes and kale and stir, then season with curry powder and add salt and pepper to taste. Use an immersion blender just enough to thicken, but be sure to leave plenty of yummy chunks of chorizo and veggies to enjoy.