Soup season is upon us, and this recipe provides a tasty way to combine seasonal veggies such as yams and cranberries with onions, garlic and more. The soup on your screen is a slight variation on a recipe we picked up at our local farmers’ market shortly before Thanksgiving, while stocking up on fresh cranberries.  The original recipe called for sweet potatoes, but we also like yams and had some at hand.

The vendors, a young cranberry growing couple from Pitt Meadows, told us this recipe originates from the good folks at the BC Cranberries Marketing Commission, which has more than a dozen recipes on their site. You’ll want to have a blender or food processor at hand for pureeing this soup, which serves six.

Ingredients: the Soup

• butter – 2 tablespoons / 30 mL
• onion – one cup  250 mL
• garlic – one large clove
• celery stick – one
• yam  or sweet potato – one large (up to 1.5 pound / .68 kg)
• low-salt chicken broth – 4 cups / 950 mL
• dried cranberries – 1 cup / 250 mL
• cinnamon – 1 tablespoon / 15 mL
• nutmeg – 1 tablespoon / 15 mL
• your choice of heavy cream or “half and half”, which we used – one cup / 240 mL (though I’m inclined to try substituting Greek yogurt for the cream next time we make this)
• pepper and salt, to taste

Ingredients: Garnishes

• sour cream
• dried cranberries
• parsley – 2 tablespoons / 30 mL, or to taste

Preparation

1. Chop the onion, garlic, celery and seat each aside separate from one another.
2. Peel and chop the yam into one inch pieces / small cubes.
3. Melt the butter in a large pot, over medium heat.
4. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the butter; saute five minutes.
5. Add the chopped celery, and saute another five minutes.
6. Add the yam, cranberries, chicken broth, cinnamon and nutmeg and gradually bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to low/medium and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the yams are tender.

Puree batches of soup in the blender

1. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.
2. Return soup to to cooking pot.
3. Add the cream, and stir your soup over a low/medium heat.
4. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
5. Serve up this tasty soup and, if desired, garnish with parsley or with sour cream and dried cranberries