SWEET POTATO & PEAR SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large pot over a medium heat, and sauté onion for 2-3 minutes until softened but not brown.
• Add the diced sweet potato and diced pear, and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
• If using canned pears, only sauté the diced sweet potato at this stage and add the pears later.
• Add the chicken broth to the pot, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potato (and pears) are soft.
• If including wine in your soup, add this in the last 10 minutes while the soup is simmering.
• Cool the soup for about 30 minutes.
• If using canned pears, drain these well, reserve the juice and add the pears now.
• They will help to cool down the soup.
• There is no need to chop the pears as the soup is about to be processed.
• In batches, process the chicken broth, sweet potatoes and pears until smooth in a blender or a food processor.
• Adjust the thickness of the soup so that it is to your liking by adding either more pears or some of the reserved pear juice, or more wine.
• Return the soup to the pot.
• If serving straight away: gently reheat, without bringing to the boil, stir in a swirl of yogurt and garnish with fresh mint or parsley.
• If serving later: refrigerate after processing.
• If taking to work for lunch: take the required quantity of yogurt in a separate container and spoon onto soup after it has been heated in the microwave.
• If freezing: freeze after processing.
• When ready to serve, defrost, gently reheat, without bringing to the boil, stir in a swirl of yogurt and garnish with fresh mint or parsley.