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Persimmon sweet potato soup is a savory way to enjoy persimmons. It comes together quickly for a weeknight dinner or easy lunch.
Being at home and trying to get food projects done is challenging. While my son is old enough to play independently, he quite definitely loves his mama and wants to keep close at hand all the time, which often results in me tripping over him in the kitchen. For some reason standing directly behind me is the perfect place for him.
Having kids in the kitchen means there’s lots of opportunity to get them to try new foods. When I was a kid, we didn’t experiment a lot, and the Midwest in the 80s was not a time for learning about new foods.
Count persimmons as one of those foods I wasted too much of my life not eating.
Truth be told I don’t think I even knew what a persimmon was until a few years ago. I have a lot of time to make up for. We mostly get the fuyu variety, although other kinds sometimes pop up in the markets.
how to use persimmons
We like to eat persimmons in both the firm stage and the OMG-soft-touches-only stage. The former is great for snacking and the latter works perfectly as a jam stand-in. Of course, as is my trend, I can’t simply eat a food without experimenting, and after a little bit of Googling I hit upon the idea of persimmon soup.
Persimmons are rather small, so I didn’t want to base the entire soup on them. Sweet potatoes are a natural match, and really help with adding bulk to the soup.
With some spices and a mirepoix, the persimmon sweet potato soup’s flavor is rather similar to butternut squash soup. Maybe that’s why I like it so much. The persimmon season is short, so try this recipe out while you still can!
If your fuyu persimmons aren’t in the squishy stage, you can pop them in the freezer overnight and thaw them in the fridge. The insides will scoop out easily with a spoon or melon baller.
You could use Haiyacha persimmons as well, but will need to ripen on the counter. You can speed up the process by putting them in a paper bag with an apple or banana.
If you have more persimmons to use or you can’t wait for yours to get ultra soft, you can try my pumpkin persimmon bread or persimmon salsa. Both recipes are a hit with my kids, thanks to the sweetness of the fruit.
You can top your soup with chopped fresh herbs like parsley or chives, slivered almonds, or Mexican crema. If you skip the crema, this soup is dairy-free.
We serve it with a sliced baguette for dipping right into the soup. I’ve found this is a great way to get kids to eat new soups. Who doesn’t love dipped foods?
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Persimmon Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2/3 cup diced carrots
- 2/3 cup diced celery
- 2/3 cup diced onion
- 1 large sweet potato, about 1 pound, diced
- 4-6 fuyu persimmons, enough to equal 1 cup of pulp
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium. Once the oil is shimmery, add the carrots, celery, and onions, and cook until vegetables are soft onions are translucent.
- Cut persimmons in half from the bottom and scoop out pulp, removing any hard bits. (The flesh should be dark orange and jammy, with a few dark flecks from sugar caramelization.)
- Add sweet potato and persimmon to pot and cook 5 more minutes. Pour in 4 cups broth and stir in turmeric and ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and let cook for at least 30 minutes, until sweet potatoes are completely soft.
- Serve with chopped parsley, Mexican crema, or almond slivers on top, if desired, and bread for dipping.
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Nutrition
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About Megan
I learned how to cook by exploring seasonal ingredients, and you can too! Meal time shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and with fresh ingredients and easy methods, Iโm here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen.ย Read moreโฆ
Hehe! I like his little face in the food photos! Food photos have become so stuffy and boring lately. We could all use a cute face like his in our photos ๐
I didn’t discover persimmons until fairly late in life, too, and now I can’t get enough of them. It’s never occurred to me to make a soup, but this one sounds fabulous, especially since I have yet to meet a sweet potato soup I didn’t like. ๐
(BTW, I have little gremlins lurking in the background of my photos and tripping me up in the kitchen, too… the only difference is that mine are four legged and furry, and aren’t particularly interested in soup.)
I love the photo with the gremlin…it just exudes Happy Boy! I’ve never used persimmons; I don’t think they are that easy to source here but I saw some at an Asian market last week and you have me thinking I should have picked some up.
I love the photo, love it! My gremlins are too old to pose for my pics, even get mad if I try and snap a photo. Now all I hope for is that they eat what I cook and bake. I have never ever cooked with a persimmon but have long been intrigued. And since I adore, simply adore sweet potatoes, this would be a great recipe to start with. Perfect!
LOL — you think your son is bad? You should see all the photos I have with PEEF as the gremlin in the background ๐ Love it. And I hope to see even more of the little guy as time wears on.
As for the food… well, I’m always so serious about trying persimmons, and then I never actually do. I need to get my butt in gear and seek them out this year.
We’re so on a soup kick and I love this flavor profile, Megan. Also I can totally relate to the little person underfoot. Mateo misses his big brother something terrible when Noah is at school and tries to make up for it my being underfoot. Gah!
Love this, I’m always wondering what to do with persimmons.
This looks delicious! I just picked a whole grocery bag full of the Haiyacha variety from a tree across from where I work. I went into their building and asked first of course and they were just going to let them fall and rot!!! Can you believe that?
Anyways I was looking for some options for all of these persimmons I’ve got now and this is JUST the thing! So excited ๐
P.S. My grimlin is 1 1/2 and her favorite spot in the entire world is right behind me.
I made this soup for our Farmers Market where we sell our persimmons. I left the ginger out because I am allergic to it. People loved the soup, when it was gone, the next person asked if she could lick the bowl. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I made this soup for our Farmers Market where we sell our persimmons. I left the ginger out because I am allergic to it. People loved the soup, when it was gone, the next person asked if she could lick the bowl. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
OMG! What an outstanding soup! I made a double batch. I believe it might even be better than my butternut squash soup. As you eat this soup, all the flavors emerge subtly with each spoonful. I tasted hints of the carrot, the ginger, onion and celery. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I have added it to my favorites!