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During our farmers market outing, KJ and I also picked up some gorgeous ginormous stalks of green scallions.  Long, flowing, huge and wonderful.  However, when cooking, I’ve become so accustomed to simply grabbing a red or white onion out of the vegetable basket that the scallions remained a bit neglected in the back of fridge for the following few days.

I was in luck, however, when I stumbled upon a recipe for scallion soup (courtesy of Saveur) while on the hunt for new warm comfort recipes.  The original recipe adds a bit of butter to cook the green onions and finishes with a big helping of heavy cream.  I wish I could say that I omitted those two ingredients out of a healthy conscience, but truth be told – I simply didn’t have butter nor cream on hand.  Nevertheless, the soup turned out very smooth, minus the extra calories, with simply the addition of an extra potato (I used two potatoes instead of the one that the original recipe calls for).  Also, sweet potatoes were substituted for the Russet potato used in the original.  I found the sweetness to actually nicely balance the strong flavor of the onions.

Scallion & Sweet Potato Soup (adapted from Colman Andrews’s “Scallion Soup,” from Saveur Issue No. 47)

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 7 large stalks of scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock
  • 2 cups (1 pint) of water
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt & pepper

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Set aside one chopped stalk of green onions for garnish; add the rest into the pot.  Stirring often, cook until the onions are soft, but not browned (~5 minutes).  Next, add the sliced sweet potatoes (I used the white variety), stock, and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and allow the soup to a simmer.  Cook until potatoes have softened, ~25 minutes.  Finally, using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth and creamy.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon into individual bowls and sprinkle a bit of reserved chopped scallions over each.

KJ said that she could eat this soup every day – coming from a teenager, about the best compliment one could ever hope for!  Considering the simplicity of the soup, well, she just might be eating it much more often than she had wished….