A Soup for the Seemingly Incurably Sick

The past week, starting around last Sunday, was a long, long, long week. The longest I can remember. And even though the days passed in a stressful frenzy, the week as a whole dragged as if ten seconds were tacked onto every single one. The main reason: it was the first week of my last semester in college so the aptly named “syllabus week” was destined to be a bit of a bore. Along with that, it is the week where you have to face the fact that there will be no rest for quite a few months (the syllabi give me friendly reminder of the vast readings, papers, presentations, and projects looming in the distance). And finally, just my luck, I ended up with a doozy of a cold starting on day one so all of my professors most likely got a lovely first impression of me as “that lazy student who looks half-drugged, sounds like a duck when she talks, and will probably only come to a handful of classes”. Oh but I will prove then wrong now that I no longer feel like my brain is nothing more that a pile of slightly jellified oatmeal.

It was one of those colds that seems to take its sweet ole time moving along. Honestly, if I’m to get sick, I just want it to hit me. BAM! Just like that. First I’m healthy, then I’m sick, and by day two I’m already on the road to recovery. This cold was one where, a week into thing, you wake up, praying it will finally be the day where you hit the downhill slope, only to realize that the symptoms are just ever so slightly worse. It lingers for weeks after, providing just enough of a cough and nasal drippage that people think you’re nastily sick when, in reality, it’s been weeks since you were contagious.

Yes, this was one of those colds. It has drained my entire body, physically and mentally, and to be honest my desire to cook has been quite minimal. And when everything tasted like cardboard anyway, what was the point in making something good. Yet, finally, I am just now able to start tasting my food. I’ve been yearning for a hint of flavor, something to awaken my tastebuds, and I really found something to kick start my renewed sense. This is something along the lines of a southwestern style potato soup. It vegetarian, virtually fat-free, but it is tremendous in flavor, hearty and creamy in texture, and packs a huge punch of heat. Half a jalapeno and a good bit of cayenne add a hidden kick while a surprising addition of molasses rounds it out with a deep, sweetness. After only a few bites, my sinuses were amazingly clearer than I remember them being in a while. Best yet, once I was finished peeling and dicing, the whole thing came together in twenty minutes of largely idle time. I took a bite and was simply just in shock that something with so many levels of flavor was so simple.

At a time when I thought that this cold would never end, this soup came along to knock enough sense and energy into me to remind me that these things do pass. Here’s to a more successful second week…and three more days of leftover soup. 

Southwest Potato Soup
serves 4-6
adapted from The Wednesday Chef

I strayed a little from the original recipe. I used a mixture of red and sweet potatoes, rather than just sweet, added the beans for a little heft, and pureed, only half of the soup to leave some potato chunkiness. I bought a little baguette to go on the side but in hindsight I now wish I had bought a large bag of tortilla chips and used them as a spoon equivalent. Therefore I may just have to buy a bag of chips tomorrow.

Ingredients
olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ jalapeno, finely diced
2½ pounds of a mix of red potatoes and sweet potatoes, peeled and cud into ¾ inch cubes
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1-14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbs. molasses
¼ tsp. cayenne
a pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
to serve: a spoonful of plain yogurt, diced avocado, and tortilla chips

In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeno and sauté for about 3 minutes until soft. Add the potatoes and the stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 13-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat.

Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and return the pot to the heat. Add the corn, beans, molasses, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and return to a light boil until reheated through.

Serve in a bowl with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream, some diced pieces of avocado, perhaps some diced tomatoes or cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips on the side for scooping up the soup.