Sweet Potato And Lemongrass Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 inches piece gingerroot, peeled and minced, I freeze my gingeroot and then grate it on a Microplane, it's the best
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced (I just smash it with the broad side of a knife)
3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
6 cups water (this makes a thick soup, use 7 cups if you like it thinner)
10 stalks lemongrass, outer dry leaves removed and bulblike base crushed (again, the broad side of a knife works wonderfully here)
7 ounces coconut milk
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

In large, heavy soup pot, heat the oil medium-hot and saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the ginger, jalapeno and garlic and saute 2 minutes more.
Add the sweet potato and water. It should be just enough water to cover the sweet potatoes.
Tie the lemongrass stalks together with string and put the bulb/base ends into the soup.
Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the potatoes break apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Discard the lemongrass stalks. P.
uree the soup -- I use an immersion blender right in the pot, or you could do this in batches in the food processor or blender.
Strain the soup through a fine sieve (I didn't even bother with this step).
Stir in the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper.