Sweet potato/yam soup |
That’s a motto that is near and dear to the heart of anyone
who cooks in a recreational vehicle. RV kitchens are miniscule, making food
preparation challenging. It’s pretty hard to be a gourmet cook when you don’t
have room to prepare an elaborate meal.
Most EV kitchens don’t have room to bring all the pots and
pans you use in everyday cooking in a house. For example, I only had room for
one of my six frying pans. I also could only bring two sauce pans. And forget
about all those handy-dandy appliances, such as pasta makers and food
processors. I had room only for the blender, toaster and waffle iron, only
bringing them out when I needed to use them.
Plus, only one of the three burners on our trailer’s propane
stove had an adjustable temperature control. They others had one setting: high.
Undoubtedly there are some cooks who can function under
these challenges. I wasn’t one of them.
One pot/pan meals quickly became the norm, and the simpler the
recipe, the better. Macaroni and cheese, and soups became my go-to dishes.
Sweet potato soup quickly became one of our favorites. It’s
hearty and filling, and easy to prepare. I found this recipe online, but
tweaked it a lot, adding this, eliminating that, until I found the combination
we liked best
In the recipe below, I used ham chunks from a package of
pieces and slices. I saved the slices for lunch sandwiches, and used the pieces
in soups. You can also buy ham cubes in packages, but they’re really too tiny
for this soup. The original recipe called for chicken broth, but I just mixed
powdered chicken bouillon with water. The original recipe also called for just
sweet potatoes, which can be hard to find, especially in small towns. We tried
it with yams; it was OK, but not as good as sweet potatoes. The ideal
combination turned out to be one of each, as show in the accompanying
photograph.
Cheryl’s Sweet Potato Soup
Sauté ham chunks (4-6 ounces) in a couple of tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle
some dried minced onions over the top. Stir the ham frequently to make sure it
doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom.
Peel and cut up sweet potatoes or yams. Don’t make the chunks too tiny. Add them to
the ham chunks in batches, sprinkling a heaping tablespoon of flour over the potatoes
between batches; stir after each addition.
Pour chicken broth or powdered chicken bouillon mixed with
water over the potatoes to cover them. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the
broth is thickened and the potatoes are done. Stir frequently throughout the
cooking. Salt and pepper to taste – I normally don’t add salt because of the
ham, though. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!