Saffron Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup

These are great flavors together! My son is practicing using a spoon with a bowl that is suctioned onto his high chair tray. He loved this.

I adapted this recipe from one that I found in the New York Times. Saffron can be a little pricey, but it makes all the difference. Plus, sweet potatoes and bell peppers are inexpensive in the fall, so the whole meal works out to be affordable.

Serves 8, 30-45 minutes to make

3-4 red bell peppers, quartered lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 thyme sprigs
2.5 lbs sweet potatoes
4 cups of soup stock (I added 2t Better Than Bouillon to the water used to boil the sweet potatoes)
Pinch of saffron threads

1. Heat broiler to high. Arrange red peppers on pan, skin side up, and broil about 4 inches from heat, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cover pan to steam skin loose for another 10-15 minutes. A little skin is fine--just take off the skin that is easy to peel off and then coarsely chop the flesh.

2. Meanwhile, scrub the sweet potatoes, peel the skin if it doesn't look good, and then chop in 2" cubes. Boil for about 10-15 minutes, or until soft.

3. In a soup pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and thyme. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, bell peppers, stock, 2 cups of water and saffron. Cover until it boils, and then uncover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Discard thyme sprigs and purée soup with either an immersion blender or very carefully in a normal blender.

Serve with toast and chevre. Finish off with cardamom ice cream.