Back in the kitchen

Blackberry camera, I hate you...

While I may be in the throes of the taper, my appetite still thinks I'm running daily 20 milers. Not cool, body, not cool.  Thanks to work subsidized meals (I <3 C), I can usually prevent the onset of evening rage hunger by ordering enough food to feed a small village around 6pm. Seriously, it's a little embarrassing  getting four pairs of chopsticks with your one-person order. 

However, last night, after months of Seamlessing dinner, I could not stomach another meal in my cubicle. Even Viet Cafe's excellent charred beef rice bowls get lame after a while. I wanted fresh veggies! healthy portions! non-plastic cutlery! So I put on my big girl panties, sucked up being ravenous, and decided to cook dinner when I finally crawled home around 10pm.  But what to make for my long overdue return to the kitchen?

SOUP.

Soup, you say? While it may not sound like the most exciting meal ever, let me tell you - last night's dinner was basically a bowl of happiness.  With the arrival of autumn, I crave hearty, comforting stews like clock work.  After perusing Smitten Kitchen's archived posts, I stumbled upon this gem - sweet potato and chorizo soup.  Chock full of vegetables, protein, and antioxidants, this recipe seemed to be a taper worthy dinner. With a little tweaking, the soup became a lovely stew, and made enough to satiate even the hungriest runner. 

Sweet Potato, Chorizo, and Spinach Stew

Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2007

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 10- to 11-ounce fully cooked smoked Portuguese linguiça sausage or chorizo sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

2 medium onions, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams; about 2 large), peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 pound white-skinned potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

6 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 9-ounce bag fresh spinach (kale or swiss chard work equally well)

1 can of navy beans

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towels to drain. Add onions and garlic to pot and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add all potatoes and cook until beginning to soften, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Using potato masher, mash some of potatoes in pot. Add browned sausage to soup. Stir in spinach and simmer just until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and serve.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Variations on a theme: Luckily my little supermarket had one package of chorizo left, but in a pinch spicy Italian sausage would work fine. Just up the ante on garlic and seasonings. If you prefer your dishes a bit on the spicy side, I'd recommend adding some (in my case tablespoons...) cayenne pepper, cumin, and/or paprika to taste.  For non-carnivorous types, substitute the sausage for 1 to 2 cans of drained white beans (navy, cannellini, great northern, etc.). To max out this stew's stomach filling potential, I threw in a can of navy beans for extra fibery goodness.