Hello again internet, you lovely ravenous beast you!
And hello lovely, non-existent readers.
I want to throw cookies at you.
And vegetables.
And crafts.
But today, because diving back into blogging is a little scary the third time around, I am offering up the most comforting soup I know.
Now, not to hit the nail on the head or anything, but here I go, dangling the proverbial carrot in an attempt to entice you to stay awhile (or come back when there’s more to see) and enjoy a big creamy bowl of curried carrot soup.
It really is an amazing bowl, full of complex (fancy speak for yummy) flavors, and it only takes a few simple ingredients to make. It’s cheap, and vegan/gluten free too. But I wouldn’t bother telling anybody that.
Okay, maybe the cheap part. Everybody loves a bargain, right?
Also, as someone who doesn’t often love cooked carrots in all their nasty mushy sweet glory, I promise you, covering them in curry and roasting them until they’ve caramelized really is the way to go. It’s actually a miracle these carrots ever make it from the roasting pan into to the soup at all, the way we snack on them, risking burnt tongues, as soon as they’re out of the oven.
The genius idea to infuse the stock with ginger is inspired by Reeve’s Roasted Carrot Soup, and it gives every bite a warm and spicy little kick. A carrot can-can in your mouth, so to speak. So while this recipe is not a one-pot wonder, please, please don’t skip the delicious ginger infusion step!
This is the way I like to do it:
I dump the stock, ginger and herbs in a pot on the stove and simmer.
Meanwhile, I peel/chop the carrots, and then spread them on the baking sheet and cover with olive oil, curry, salt, pepper. Once the carrots are in the oven, I chop the shallots, leek, and garlic and saute them in my dutch oven or stockpot. The carrots come out of the oven, very nearly escape my mouth, and are added to the shallot/leek/garlic mixture, and then a few minutes later I strain the stock into the dutch oven as well. It all happily co-mingles for a bit, and then I puree the whole mess in my blender, sometimes adding some nut milk. Sometimes not.
At this point it’s perfectly delicious and just begging to spend some quality time with you, a good book and a warm blanket on your couch, but I often fancy it up and add a little creme fraiche/pistachios. I’m even thinking of pouring it into shot glasses this Easter and serving it as a tasty little amuse bouche. Ooh la la!
Come back tomorrow for the crafts.
- 7-8 carrots peeled/chopped
- 3 shallots chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 leek chopped
- knob of fresh ginger peeled
- few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- ¼ cup nut milk
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- Bring 6 cups vegetable stock to boil in a pot with thyme/rosemary and knob of ginger (2")
- Reduce heat and simmer.
- Roast carrots on cookie sheet/roasting pan with a little olive oil, curry powder, and salt/pepper at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until carrots are brown and easy to stab with a fork.
- Saute shallots and leek in a stockpot until translucent and fragrant (5 minutes)
- Add garlic (1 minute)
- Add carrots (2-3 minutes)
- Strain vegetable stock into stockpot and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Season to taste.
- Puree soup in blender in batches, adding nut milk if desired.
- Serve with a little creme fraiche + pistachios or some shaved parmesan
then add it when heating thawed soup.
