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Western-Star.com

Chipotle sweet potato soup with red bell pepper and bacon salsa

Makes 6 to 8 servings
Salsa:
4 slices smoky bacon
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lime (half a lime if they are big)
Soup:
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root
2 small yellow onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
11/4 teaspoon pureed chipotles in adobo sauce*
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 large sweet potatoes (not yams) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
6 cups fat free chicken stock
creme fraiche or equal parts of sour cream and non-fat yogurt mixed together

To make the salsa: Cook the bacon until crisp, turning once, in a large heavy pan over medium heat. Drain on paper towels; crumble and set aside. Strain the bacon fat into a container and wipe any residue from the pan.

Return just enough bacon fat to the skillet to lightly coat the bottom. Add the diced red onion and red pepper and cook over medium heat about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the lime juice. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside at room temperature (or refrigerate and rewarm later).

To make the soup: Add some of the reserved bacon fat to the pan (it provides essential flavor), using enough to coat the pan. Add the garlic, minced ginger, chopped onions and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper and cook about 6 minutes, until onion is lightly browned. Add the wine and stir up any brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Add the chipotle puree and cook the mixture over medium heat until the mixture is reduced by three-fourths, about 6 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and chicken stock and simmer 25 minutes until the potatoes are very soft.

Using a blender, puree the soup mixture in batches. The soup can be made ahead and refrigerated.

To serve: Reheat the soup. Warm the relish and bacon crumbles in a 300-degree oven for five minutes, then combine the relish and bacon.

Ladle soup into soup bowls, add a spoonful of creme fraiche and top with a generous spoonful of relish.

* The San Marco brand of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce is now available in the Mexican food section of most supermarkets, as well as in the Mexican foods aisle at the Far East Center at Airway and Woodman roads. Use 1 chile and a little of the sauce and puree in a mini-processor. Keep the remaining chiles in a well-sealed jar in the refrigerator and they will last for weeks.

Recipe adapted from Blue Ginger by Ming Tsai (Clark Potter, $32.50).