Chipotle-and-sweet potato soup

• 1 kg Woolworths Kara sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 t fennel seeds
• 1 t coriander seeds
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 2 T olive oil
• 30 g butter, diced
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 T Woolworths chipotle sauce
• 100 g chorizo
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 cup cream
• 50 g flaked almonds, toasted, to garnish
For the polenta cake:
• 200 g sugar
• 250 g butter
• 4 free-range eggs
• 2 lemons , zested and juiced
• 200 g flour
• 140 g polenta
• salt, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the sweet potatoes and onion on a baking tray. Sprinkle over the spices, drizzle with the olive oil, dot with butter and season. Roast for 20–30 minutes, or until the sweet potato is soft and slightly caramelised.

2. Blend the sweet potato and onions with the chicken stock and chipotle sauce, then pass through a sieve to remove the husks of the seeds for an ultra-silky, smooth soup. Set aside while you make the chorizo and polenta cake.

3. To make the crispy chorizo, peel the skin off the chorizo and chop the chorizo into small pieces. Fry in the olive oil until crispy.

4. To make the polenta cake, preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 20 cm cake tin with baking paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time while beating, followed by the lemon juice and zest. Sift together the dry ingredients and add a few tablespoons at a time, mixing until a smooth batter forms. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 30–40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin. Slice into wedges to serve.

5. Place the soup in a saucepan and add the cream. Heat through, season to taste and sprinkle with the chorizo and almonds. Serve with the polenta cake.

Find more soup recipe here

Photographs: Jan Ras
Production: Abigail Donnelly 
Food Assistant: Cheri Kustner