Recipe for Creamy Curried Carrot Soup

What to do when you find yourself with several pounds of carrots? One great thing about getting a CSA (community supported agriculture) box of produce every week is the element of surprise. it’s fun to be forced to try new things, and a CSA box can mean a new array of vegetables and therefore a new mix of recipes. But sometimes, it just means so much of one good thing. This week? It was carrots. Big carrots, little carrots, gnarly carrots. Carrots are a great and versatile root vegetable. They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. So I am always happy to get them. But what to do with so many carrots? My colleagues would suggest I make my world-famous carrot cake, but that won’t feed my family for dinner. So instead I opted for a tasty carrot soup. It turned out so well I thought I’d share. My kids usually prefer pureed soups to chunky ones. I love any soup, and my favorite part of fall and winter is that soup is put in the meal rotation at least twice a week during these seasons. This soup pairs the sweet carrots with the warmth of turmeric and other seasonings. It’s an easy way to use carrots, but it’s also a tasty one!

Creamy Curried Carrot Soup

Serves: 12 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Cook method: Simmer

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs carrots
• 1 large onion
• 8 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbsp fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt & pepper, to taste,
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• pinch of cinnamon
• 6 cups bone broth

Optional garnishes: croutons, cream, coconut cream, freshly chopped herbs, chili oil

Preparation:

1. Peel the carrots and slice them pretty thinly. (If organic, keep the peels to add to the next batch of broth you make.) 2. Heat the coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. 3. Dice the onion and sautee it for about 5 minutes, or until it wilts and starts to become translucent (but before it starts to brown). 4. Add the garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute more, then add the spices. Stir constantly as they heat, for about 1 minute more. Add the carrots and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes more, being careful not to let the spices burn. 5. Add the broth. If necessary, add also enough water that the vegetables are completely covered with liquid. Heat to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, loosely covered, for about 30 to 40 minutes. Test the carrots to make sure they are tender. 6. Blend the soup in batches in a blender. (Be careful when blending hot liquids, leaving the small fill cap off the blender, and covering the hole with a clean dish towel in order to allow the steam to escape.) 7. Return the blended soup to the pot. Add more water if the soup is too thick, and check for seasoning levels. 8. Serve with any of the optional garnishes, or without any garnish at all! By Peg Kern Find out more about our cooking vacations and one day cooking classes. Find more photos, videos, food facts, and travel stories from The International Kitchen on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter. Sign up to receive our newsletter, which includes travel tips, recipes, promotions, and information on our best cooking vacations and food and wine tours.