Root vegetable soups

It's turned colder, and it's time to deploy root vegetables. To use up the rutabagas and sweet potatoes I bought from the market, I turn to this duo of soups, one called autumn soup and one called winter soup. In whatever order you eat them, they're tasty.
 

Autumn soup with crispy bacon

Via Epicurious.com, from “Cooking 1-2-3” by Rozanne Gold

Ingredients

1½ pounds sweet potatoes or yams

1 large rutabaga, about 1½ pounds

6 slices bacon, divided

5 cups water or more

1 teaspoon salt

12 black peppercorns

Method

Chop three bacon slices. Heat in large saucepan over medium heat until it’s released its fat, but hasn’t started to crisp up. Add sweet potatoes and rutabagas. Toss to coat. Add water, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Whir in food processor or with stick blender until smooth.

Cook remaining slices of bacon. Serve as garnish. Makes 6 hearty servings.

Winter vegetable soup

From Epicurious.com

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 Granny Smith or other tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup peeled and chopped rutabaga (or you could use turnips, but I don't know why you would)

1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped butternut squash

1 cup peeled and chopped carrot

1 cup peeled and chopped sweet potato or yam

5 cups broth

¼ cup maple syrup

Cayenne pepper

Method

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Cook onion until translucent. Add apple and remaining vegetables. Season with salt and cook about 5 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables, a good half hour or more. Add syrup and cayenne pepper to taste. Puree in food processor or with stick blender until very smooth.

Rating: Both of these are tasty, filling soups. The only clear-cut winner is the diner. The winter soup has more complexity of flavor, perhaps, and of the two, I'd be more likely to serve that one to guests simply because of it's richer color and smoother consistency. But the autumn soup, with its smoky bacon notes and thick heartiness, is a top rib-sticking choice on a cold day.