Collards & sweet potato soup
So, we’re in the midst of fall, Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I’ve been feeling super cozy. So…soup, duh. Most of the soups I make are just made up ideas, and that works because soups are so forgiving and fun to experiment with.
This soup came to be because of what was in my kitchen: leftover collard greens that I didn’t use in my office potluck dish, a few sweet potatoes I bought the other day, and some bone broth I bought because I always keep a container of broth on hand. What’s more “fall” than greens & sweet potatoes? Um….NOTHING.
(Note: Making your own stock or broth is super easy, and totally worth it, if you have the time. It stores great in the freezer to pull out at times like this, I just didn’t have any on hand at the moment. I’ll share tips on making stock in a different post that’s coming soon.)
Ok, let’s get to it.
First things first…dice up a medium onion, one sweet potato (peeled) and mince two large cloves of garlic. HEY! Do NOT buy the minced garlic in a jar, please! Sh*t’s nasty. Also, you’ll need to chop and wash your collard greens. Get rid of any hard, woody stems, and rinse well to remove any grit and dirt. I already had a huge container of chopped greens that I prepped and didn’t use the other day. Yay. Saving time is so much fun.
So…this picture may be misleading.
I ended up using two small onions (they were really small), so this shows only one of those chopped up. Just imagine that twice as much onion was in this pic, ok?
While you’re chopping away, warm your pot over medium-high heat, and put 4 slices of bacon into it. Let the smell of bacon fill your home. Yeah…that’s it.
(Note: If you don’t eat pork, just heat up about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil - olive, vegetable, grapeseed, etc. Whatever you got.)
Are you into this picture of uncooked bacon?
Yes.
If you don’t eat pork, then just keep scrolling. But don’t you dare substitute turkey bacon.
So now, you have your bacon cooked & your veggies chopped. Take the bacon out of the pan and set it aside, but leave the fat behind. Yeah, the good stuff. Then toss your diced onion & sweet potato in there, hit it with a sprinkle or two of salt & pepper and let it cook for a bit to soften up. Then, add about a half tablespoon each of parsley and herbes de provence and your garlic, and let it bathe in that bacon fat.
So, after cooking over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes or so, your veggies should have softened up a bit and things should be smelling good. Here’s the part where you add the bone broth. One 32-ounce carton of it.
You can use whatever type of broth you want, honestly.
I’m not picky. You should’t be either. At least when it comes to making soup.
Alright…we’re getting closer. Once you’ve added the broth to your pot of veggies, let them simmer and allow them and your dried herbs to soften up. It doesn’t really matter if they get too soft because they’re just gonna be blended up. Yeah…you just wait…for about 20-30 minutes.
And then, break out your immersion blender, and get to work (carefully, because nobody wants hot soup splattering on them). If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can gingerly transfer the soup in small portions to a standard blender and get the same results. But honestly, an immersion blender is a cheap life saver. Ask for one for Christmas. Or treat yo’self.
*This is NOT an ad for Oster.
Blend up your soup. It will get a little foamy, then just let it settle. If you still have little chunks of sweet potato you can smash them with the back of your spoon, or just leave them. You just want your broth to thicken as much as possible with the pureed potato.
Holy sh*t, we’re almost done! Now’s the time to taste your broth. Does it have enough salt & pepper? Nobody likes a bland soup. Once it gets seasoned to your liking, take your chopped collards (AND WASHED…nobody likes gritty greens either) and add them to the pot 2 cups at a time. Then let them wilt down before adding the other 2 cups.
Collard greens!
Chop them, wash them, cook them. And in that order.
Greens in the pot? Good. Now you just wanna let it simmer for about 30 more minutes to let the greens get nice & tender. While it’s simmering, make yourself useful. Wash a dish or two. Or, idunno, make yourself a drink and don’t do sh*t. It’s your life.
What a gem
You’ll see this red pot of mine a lot. She’s my favorite.
Anyway… now for the plating prep. Chop up your bacon. Like so…
If you don’t eat pork just leave this out, I guess…
But…why… I mean, yeah, I get it.
I roasted some garlic in olive oil the other day, and of course I kept the garlicky olive oil that was left over because…liquid gold. This will be a garnish… gotta make it look as good as it tastes, nahmean?
It may look like some regular old olive oil, but it’s not ok?
Listen, I’m new here…
And now! For the grand finale. The plating…bowling…we’re putting this in a bowl, not a plate. Anyone who puts soup on a plate is nuts. Stay away from them. Word to John Mayer.
Drizzle with your garlic oil (or don’t…I mean, who keeps garlic oil on hand? me…that’s who), sprinkle with a little crushed red pepper if you’re into some spice, and add your chopped bacon. Then eat it. All of it. Trust me, you’ll want to.
Yay! First blog post, DONE! If the soup sucks, it’s because you did something wrong. Definitely NOT my fault. Good luck!
Collards & sweet potato soup
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, peeled & diced
1 medium yellow or white onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced (please don’t buy the stuff in the jar)
4 cups chopped collard greens (hard stems removed)
32-oz bone broth (or whatever broth you’d like)
4 slices of bacon
1/2 tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 tbsp. herbes de provence (aka HDP, word to Chef Resha)
Infused olive oil for garnish
Red pepper flakes for garnish
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
Heat pot over med-high heat, then add the bacon and cook until fat is rendered & bacon is crispy. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving fat in the pan.
Add diced sweet potato & onion to the pot and season with salt & pepper. Sautee for about 5-7 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the potato has softened.
Add parsley, HDP, and minced garlic to the pot and sautee for about 3 more minutes, stirring to ensure garlic doesn’t burn.
Pour in your broth, stir, and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all herbs & vegetables are completely soft.
Use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to standard blender in parts), to puree the vegetables and herbs and thicken the broth. Any remaining potato chunks can be smashed with the back of a spoon. Once blended, season with salt & pepper to taste.
Add chopped collard greens to the pot 2 cups at a time, allow to wilt down, and add remaining 2 cups, and let simmer for 30 minutes, until greens are tender.
Serve hot, topped with infused oil, red pepper flakes, and chopped bacon
Enjoy!
