Pantry Soup Special

James had a little sniffle and a sore throat today so I thought it was a perfect day for soup and to use up some produce. First I sauteed some Pancetta in olive oil to use as garnish. I removed the pancetta and added in 2 chopped onions and 1 shallot (no particular plan there it's just what I had around) and a couple cloves of garlic. I sautéed those (with a pinch of dried rosemary and sage -- too lazy to walk downstairs for the herbs -- and a little bit of thyme) then added chopped, peeled sweet potatoes and apples, covered everything in chicken stock and brought it to a boil. I sprinkled in a little S&P and crushed red pepper and allowed the pot to simmer for about an hour until the potatoes and apples were nice and soft. Meanwhile I baked some cubes of rosemary bread (tossed in a little olive oil) for croutons (12 minutes in a 375º oven). When the vegetables were soft I puréed everything in the blender (I LOVE that Vitamix), returned to the pot to heat through, tasted for seasonings, stirred in a bit of cream to finish and served sprinkled with the reserved pancetta and rosemary croutons.

Sweet Potato Apple Soup with Crispy Pancetta and Rosemary Croutons.