Christine's Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Here's a hearty recipe to herald the coming of Autumn - Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 small sweet potatoes (total 1 ¼ to 1 ½ lbs)
1 lb bag peeled baby carrots
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
3 large dried sage leaves, or 1 Tbs dried rubbed sage
½ cup Greg's Happy Sauce
½ cup port or red wine
1 cup half and half (or 1 cup evaporated skim milk, to cut fat)
3 to 4 cups water or chicken broth
2 Tbs vegetable or olive oil
Black pepper, to taste
Optional: 1 or 2 dashes of your favorite hot sauce (see note below)

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch thick pieces. In a deep large skillet or soup pot, heat oil and add sweet potatoes, onions, garlic and carrots. Stir and add port or wine and Greg's Happy Sauce. Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until potatoes start to soften. Add water or broth, sage, and black pepper (and optional hot sauce) to taste, and stir. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 20 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Turn off heat and add vegetables to a food processor or blender with some of the liquid, reserving the rest of the liquid in the pot. Puree the vegetables to your desired consistency. Pour back into skillet or pot, stir in half and half or evaporated skim milk, and bring back to a simmer (do not boil) on low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve with bread (a nice rustic loaf with fall herbs such as rosemary or basil works well). Note: We like to use Cackalacky Spice Sauce as the hot sauce in this recipe because it's neither vinegary nor too hot, and its ingredients (including yams and red wine) complement the flavors in the soup quite nicely.

Prep time: approx. 15 mins.
Cooking time: approx. 1 hr.
Serves 6 to 8

Zestfully yours,
Gloria