Sweet potato and lime soup with feta

Sweet potatoes are a favourite root vegetable of mine, roasted, sautèed, in stews, and even in soups. I was looking for a lovely, unusual, Christmas-themed soup and had to try this recipe.

The soup is a delicate combination of flavours. The sweet soup is balanced beautifully by the lime and the light sprinkle of chilli flakes. The decadent feta cheese takes the soup over the top adding a salty creaminess to the soup. It was a lovely soup, light and flavourful, it was the perfect start to a decadent meal.

I have several cookbooks from Sabrina Ghayour and cook from them often. This one in particular is one of my favourites as the flavours pop off the page. The recipes range from her core Middle Eastern to the Far East, but all of them are easy and delicious. She plays with a range of flavours, ingredients and cooking styles in this book which makes it fun to cook from.

For more recipes from this cookbook click here.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked

2-3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon red chilli flakes

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

5 cups water

Zest and juice of 2 limes

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Olive oil to drizzle

Heavy cream, to drizzle

Feta cheese, crumbled

Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onions. Sautè on low heat till the onions are soft and translucent, do not colour.

Add the sweet potatoes, and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes till the outsides of the potatoes are cooked and they start to get soft.

Add the oregano, chilli flakes and turmeric and give the pot a quick stir. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Simmer gently for 30-40 minutes till the sweet potatoes are very soft.

Cool the soup and blend with a hand blender or in a blender till very smooth. You are looking for a thick-ish soup, one that coats a spoon well. Add the salt and pepper and mix in well. Taste and adjust seasonings. The soup should be bright with a tartness that balances the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

Stir in the lime zest and juice and mix in well.

Serve the soup hot and topped with a light drizzle of olive oil and cream cream and some feta cheese crumble.