Roasted Sweet Potato and Tomato Soup

Da Huz's Note:

A delicious and healthy soup. Serve with some wheat rolls and flavorful white cheese (we like Comte). If you want something a little more hearty, grill some sausages and serve on the side or in the soup - the flavors go very well together. This makes a good starter to a Thanksgiving meal, especially since potatoes and tomatoes originated in the Americas.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 25 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8

Yield: 8.0

• 6 roma tomatoes
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery ribs
• 2 quarts stock (vegetable stock is best)
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cups walnuts, shelled

Directions:

1. Cut the tomatoes in half, scoop out the seeds and discard.
2. Peel and mince half the garlic.
3. Combine minced garlic, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp olive oil in a baking dish and roast at 425 F until the tomatoes are shriveled (about 30-40 minutes).
4. Cut the sweet potatoes in half the long way, place cut-side down in a dish, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast at 425 for 25 minutes (can be done with the garlic and tomatoes).
5. Chop the onion, peel and chop the carrots, and chop the celery.
6. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and cook the onion, carrots, and celery until the onion turns translucent (10 minutes or so).
7. Combine onion/carrot/celery mixture with stock in a saucepan. Remove skin from sweet potatoes and add to saucepan. Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, chop tomatoes and reserve (along with the minced garlic).
9. Add thyme, chives, and sage to the soup. Use an immersion blender to process the soup until smooth. Alternatively, remove and process in a food processor (may have to do this in steps if your food processor is not large enough).
10. Chop the parsley and walnuts. Ladle soup into bowls. Place a large spoonful of the tomato and garlic into the center of each bowl and garnish the soup with walnuts and parsley. Serve hot.