Ipomoea batatas called sweet potatoes come from Central America. They were brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus, then the Portuguese relocated them to Africa and India. Now the main producers of these vegetables are India, Vietnam, Japan and China.

Though we most often buy orange sweet potatoes, there are about 400 known varieties, from white and yellow to red and purple. Depending on their colour they have different nutrients and composition and they also have another properties.

The red variety is recommended to fight against heart diseases, whereas the purple one contains strong antioxidants, so it is an ingredient of an anticancer diet. The yellow variety, which contains lutein, is recommended for people who need to look after their eyes.

You may bake, boil and grill sweet potatoes. They are excellent ingredients of puree, spreads and soups. Reportedly, you can also eat the leaves, not only the tubers. They are used in Chinese, Japanese and Filipino restaurants. Today in my kitchen sweet potatoes and carrots were soup ingredients. I served it with bacon and smoked goat's cheese rolls. I found the inspiration for this recipe in the Lidl cookery book.

Ingredients (for 4 people)
1kg of sweet potatoes
0.5 kg of carrots
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of 30% cream
6 slices of smoked bacon
6 slices of smoked goat's cheese

Slice the garlic and onion. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes and carrots. Fry the vegetables in olive oil on a medium heat, stirring from time to time. Pour enough water to cover the vegetables and add the stock cube, basil and boil until the vegetables are soft. Add the cream and butter and blend the soup thoroughly. Spice it up with salt and pepper. Cut the slices of bacon and goat's cheese into halves. Put the cheese on the bacon and roll it up. Staple every roll together with a cocktail stick and fry until they are crispy. Serve the hot soup with rolls.

Enjoy your meal!