I’m back!
What, you didn’t know I was gone?
Well, I wasn’t…. Really.
I’ve just been ignoring everything while I get myself organized for the new year.
It was a monumental task. Just to start there were 3 months of photos with recipes and photos without recipes to whip into some semblance of order.
Almost as monumental as the size of sweet potatoes here.
When we first moved to France I couldn’t find sweet potatoes anywhere. Then, suddenly, they appeared in the ‘exotic foods’ section, along with passion fruit, plantains and guava.
They were nice, normal size sweet potatoes, in a variety of colors and I bought them often.
Then they started getting bigger and I stopped buying them.
Sweet potatoes tend to be bigger than potatoes, and, if I couldn’t find two small ones (they were rare) I could buy one for the two of us.
But then they started getting bigger
A lot bigger……
One would be enough for the two of plus our extended families on both sides.
Mon mari would have to take the trailer so we could haul it home.
We would need to rent a forklift to get it in the house.
Okay, slight exaggeration, but the one I bought to have with our Christmas ham was the smallest I could find and it was the size of a cantaloupe.
I got out the cleaver, hacked it in to manageable pieces, than cut it to make oven fries.
We ate about a third of them for dinner (it was Christmas, after all). mon mari nibbled on some cold for lunch, and the rest I used to make soup (what else?)
It was good….
Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato Fries
Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8oz (240gr) left over sweet potato fries
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups (12oz, 360ml) chicken stock
- 1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) sweet marsala
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbs minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp za’atar
- 2 tbs parsley, divided
- more chicken stock or water if needed
Instructions:
- In medium sauce pan sauté onion in oil until transparent.
- Add remaining ingredients except parsley. (and extra stock)
- Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
- Purée soup
- Add more stock water if you want a thinner soup.
- Stir in 1 tbs parsley.
- Reheat if needed
- Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve.
The girls have found a purpose…. a way to contribute to their world.
Well, a way that is not nearly as irritating as the barking they do whenever they’re outside at night. Must keep the bunnies in their place, after all….
It was a bit windy here over Christmas (the main part of the storm missed us)
The rest of the leaves came off our trees and I noticed this big nest in one of them:
Underneath the tree I noticed this little nest that had been blown down.
I don’t know what the big nest is made of, but the little one was made from dog hair.
It’s looks rather warm and cozy for the baby birds, doesn’t it?
If you want nutrition information for the recipe, try this site: Calorie Count
I could send more dog fur, even have a choice of colours, if you ever run out !!
Soup sounds good with zataar in it. good idea
Bonne année Katie Eat well and enjoy all that 2014 has t offer.
Happy New Year, Katie! The perfect nest!
I love that sweet potatoes are in the exotic food section in your stores!
This soup looks wonderful. I’ll try to remember to make it the next time we buy sweet potatoes. But I can’t promise. I usually HAVE to have oven roasted cubed sweet potatoes to use as a garnish for jerk chicken on rice.
The nest made of beautiful white dog hair is equally wonderful! Very cool.
Happy New Year and Happy Feasting in 2014!
Oh, gosh, Kate…. I have plenty LO
Thanks, Phonicia… It was good!
Happy New Year to you, Val
Pam, it was cute….
Elizabeth, roast extra! It’s worth it!