A Sweet Potato Soup for Summer. Seriously.

A perfect Summer Supper: Spicy and Tart Sweet Potato Soup, Dressed Romaine Hearts and Macaroni Salad

You may not think of soup as Summer approaches but it's a mainstay of balmy cuisines, from Latin America to sweltering East Asia. Ditto for sweet potatoes, a tropical vegetable too often seasonally restricted by its major Thanksgiving credentials. Right now Cafe Drake HRV considers this the perfect soup, enchanted with its spicy/smokey/tart carnival of flavors and textures and a chameleon appeal as starter course or entree.

Let's start by heating 1 T. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 t. black mustard seeds, cover pan and wait for the seeds to begin popping. Once they do add 1/4 t. cumin seeds and 1/2 t. coriander seeds (lightly crushed with your fingers). Cook for about 30 seconds tops and add 1/2 t. turmeric powder, slivered ginger (sliced into thin strips from a peeled 2" piece of ginger root), 2 minced cloves of garlic and 1-3 sliced hot green chilies. Stir for a minute and then add 1 peeled chopped tomato, 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth, 1 peeled and thinly sliced sweet potato and 1/2 t. salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer; leave saucepan uncovered. You'll want the sweet potatoes nice and soft so plan on 15 minutes cooking time if slices are small and thin - see above photos for reference.

When sweet potatoes are soft and creamy, serve soup hot, garnishing bowls with minced cilantro. A spritz of lime juice, just a spritz, only increases the insane pleasure of this superbly savory soup.