Name: Roast sweet potato, chipotle and orange soup with paprika seeds
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 700g sweet potatoes; 3 tsp olive oil; 1 tsp runny honey or maple syrup (optional); 1⁄2 tsp smoked paprika; 50g mixed seeds; 1 large onion chopped; 1 carrot finely chopped; 1 stalk celery finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic finely chopped; 2-3 tbsp chipotle paste; 800ml vegetable stock; 1 orange zested and juiced; 15g coriander roughly chopped

Two bowls filled with orange soup topped with seeds

700g sweet potatoes
3 tsp olive oil
1 tsp runny honey or maple syrup
(optional)
1⁄2 tsp smoked paprika
50g mixed seeds
1 large onion
chopped
1 carrot
finely chopped
1 stalk celery
finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
finely chopped
2-3 tbsp chipotle paste
800ml vegetable stock
1 orange
zested and juiced
15g coriander
roughly chopped

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork, wrap them in foil and transfer directly to the oven shelf. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Once cool, halve the sweet potatoes and scrape out the flesh. Set aside.
step 2
While the potatoes cool, start on the seeds. Reduce the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put 1 tsp of the oil, the honey (if using) and paprika in a small bowl, and stir to combine. Add the seeds, season and stir to coat. Line a baking tray with baking paper and add the seeds, spreading out into a single layer. Transfer the tray to the oven and roast for 6-8 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray.
step 3
Put the remaining 2 tsp of oil in a large, deep pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic, season with salt, and sauté for 5 minutes until the onions are soft. Add 1-2 tbsp chipotle paste (depending on how spicy you like it) and cook for a further 2 minutes.
step 4
Add the sweet potato flesh to the pan along with the stock. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the orange zest and juice. Using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth. Season to taste.
step 5
Divide the soup between four bowls and swirl with the remaining chipotle paste (if the paste is too thick to swirl, add a little water to thin slightly). Sprinkle with the seeds and coriander to serve.