Roast Sweet Potato Soup

This autumn has been much cooler than previous year. I find I am already pulling out the woollen jumpers from the wardrobe in May. When the weather turns cold, I love to add soups to my repertoire to warm the body and soul. I have my usual soup recipes - roast pumpkin, chicken and corn, mushroom, minestrone, chicken and vegetable, beef and vegetable - but have never ventured from those.

Today, I made this roast sweet potato soup for dinner to accompany the free-form pork and apple pie (recipe by Matt Moran from June 2012's Masterchef Magazine). The method is similar to the roast pumpkin soup, except for the maple syrup that is drizzled together with the the olive oil.

I made my own chicken stock using a piece of chicken breast with 1 onion and 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns plus water into a stockpot and boil for about 1 hour.

Once the stock is ready and the roast vegetables are cool, I use a stick blender to process all ingredients together until a smooth texture. Season with salt and cracked black pepper then serve with a drizzle of cream on top.

Here's the free-form pork and apple pie. I like the free-form. No pie tin required.