Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach & Harissa

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I love sweet potato soup.  I wanted to try this recipe because I had spinach from the farmers market as well as a jar of harissa.  Harissa is also known as Tunisian chili paste. This spice mixture originated in Tunisia. It contains chilies, cumin, garlic, coriander, caraway seeds, cinnamon, olive oil and sometimes tomatoes.  The harissa that I have is quite hot.  The first time I used it, my husband said he couldn't eat the dish.  I didn't think it was quite that hot, but now I use less then the recipe calls for and add more after tasting.  This recipe originally called for 1 1/2 tablespoons of harissa.  I cut it in half and used 2 teaspoons.  Your harissa may not be as hot as mine or you may have a higher tolerance than Arthur.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter (chunky is OK too)
2 teaspoons harissa paste (read intro above)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground turmeric
3/4 tsp ground cumin
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 5 cups)
3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3-4 oz. baby spinach leaves (about 2 cups packed)  If you are using larger spinach leaves just chop them up a bit.
Salt to taste
Garnish with chopped peanuts (optional, but good)

Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and saute 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste, peanut butter, harissa, garlic, turmeric and cumin.  Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add sweet potatoes, broth and 1 1/2 cups water.  Simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, 20 to 25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
  2. Blend mixture with immersion blender, adding more water if soup is too thick.  Bring soup back to a simmer and stir in spinach leaves. 

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