Carrot Coconut Soup
Carrot Coconut Soup is made in under 30 minutes and uses a genius recipe from James Peterson. We love Peterson's cookbooks so much that we originally named our rescue greyhound ‘James Peterson’ in his honor. To our chagrin, we quickly discovered two names and multiple syllables to be far too overwhelming for a greyhound with limited life skills. Now, he just answers to Leo. Carrot Coconut Soup builds flavor from a sauté of carrots in butter, with an unusual thickener of rice, finished with coconut milk and curry to round out this delicious soup . Easy pantry ingredients, foolproof technique, and lovely bold flavors!
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 pounds peeled carrots (about 8 medium), roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup long grain rice
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 5 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
Optional garnishes could include: briefly sautéed curried cauliflower, cilantro, yogurt, mint, bread crumbs, salted cashews, etc.
Steps:
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, rice, thyme, and sugar and cook over medium heat until rice is golden and carrots are softened, 7-10 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Allow to simmer 15-20 minutes until carrots are cooked through and rice is puffed up (don't worry about the texture of the rice, as it is only used as a thickener and will be pureed).
- Remove from heat, add curry powder, salt, cayenne and coconut milk and puree soup until it achieves the texture you desire. If the soup is too thick for your taste, thin with broth until you achieve your desired consistency.
- Serve plain or with a garnish of your choice. This soup keeps up to 1 week refrigerated and reheats well.
Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup
Yesterday was our last day of work, a bittersweet time in many ways. We left after saying reluctant goodbyes to many wonderful co-workers. It was an unusually silent car as we drove away, each of us lost in our own thoughts, until a loud rumble and clanking sound broke our melancholic lull. Our pensive quiet was replaced with a resigned amusement and a jolt back to practicality; we had managed to get a flat tire before we even left the parking lot. A tire change, careful drive home, and a trip to our local garage later, we were famished by the time we finally made it home. We heated up some Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup we'd made earlier in the week and dunked some of Paul's sourdough bread into the sweet goodness while we talked through our next life step. This soup is a master at capturing the nuanced sweetness of natural caramelization and the subtle nuttiness of roasted onion, garlic and butternut squash. While Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup tastes rich and complex, it is in reality just a very simple roasted vegetable puree turned into a velvety fall soup. We have adapted this recipe from James Peterson. For more information on his soup cookbook and others, check out our bookshelf.
Cambodian Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Jet lag brings out the worst in me, and after 36 hours of travel to reach Paul in Cambodia, I was tipsy with sleep deprivation and drooping with hunger. Ignoring my desperate mutterings about going to sleep, Paul grabbed a moto driver and whisked us across town to Friends, a non-profit restaurant and job training center for at risk youth. I ordered half the menu in my hunger, and recall finding it all delicious with one exception...the pumpkin soup was outstanding! The flavor was deep with a warming blend of spices set off by a rich coconut and pumpkin base. I begged the cooks for the recipe, and they rattled off a long list of spices. I have been obsessively trying to recreate that soup for many years. This Cambodian Spiced Pumpkin Soup is a Westernized version that brings me back.
Carrot Ribbon Salad with Carrot Top Pesto
Our friends Beth and Justin, both creative cooks and passionate gardeners, made our day when they dropped off some beautiful carrots, freshly dug from their garden. While hardcore carnivores may lay claim to nose-to-tail cooking, we think that this veggie based dish gives the concept a run for its money, as it uses all parts of the carrot plant: root-to-leaf cooking in its colorful prime. Carrot Ribbon Salad with Carrot Top Pesto is adapted from vegetable whiz Diane Morgan’s Roots cookbook. In this dish, the carrots are first mellowed with a quick hot water bath to soften their texture and bite. Carrot top pesto, with its subtle parsley-like flavor, is a lovely match, accented with dollops of creamy goat cheese. Find a source for fresh vibrant carrots with tops and make this beautiful dish.
French Cabbage Soup, Garbure Gasconne
Blustering snow and icy rains found us craving a hearty soup this week. Gazing down the steep cobblestone hills winding down from our house, we opted for caution, and a pantry raid, in favor of driving. For our winter-storm-fare, we dunked homemade sourdough bread in aromatic bowls of French Cabbage Soup, and dreamed of beaches! Our recipe for French Cabbage Soup, Garbure Gasconne, is a modified version of this delicious cabbage soup from the French region of Gascony. This soup smartly employs steaming and simmering techniques to gently extract the delicate flavors from winter root vegetables. French Cabbage Soup is a warming vegetable soup with a depth of flavor that far exceeds its humble ingredients.
Sweet Potato, Chili & Lime Soup
Think of this Sweet Potato, Chili and Lime Soup as a sweeter tortilla soup, a spicier butternut bisque, or a limey chowder. This silky textured soup eats like a hearty cream soup gone funky with chili and lime. Given the natural richness of the sweet potatoes, we found that sour cream, lime, cilantro and tortilla strips are a must for both flavor and textural contrast. Our soon-to-be brother-in-law had the inspired idea of adding a dollop of Chimichurri Sauce to the soup, he was right, it’s a winner! Serve with some homemade bread and a bright beet salad, and you have yourself a colorful and light winter meal. This recipe is adapted from James Peterson.
