Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Curried Carrot and Apple Soup

5 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 coconut milk
1/2 tsp red curry
1 apple, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil / salt / pepper / coriander powder / garam masal / cumin
honey
3 slices of bacon - chopped, browned
toasted walnuts
cream / creme fraiche

Place carrots, garlic, bay leaf, at least 1 tsp salt, and enough water in a sauce pot.  Cook over medium heat until carrots are very tender - about half an hour depending on thickness.  Strain, remove bay leaf and garlic.  Puree in a food processor until very smooth.  Reserve. 
Saute onion over medium heat until very tender, add apple, 1 tsp of red curry paste (or to taste), about 1 tsp coriander powder, about 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and saute for about 10 minutes.  Add 1 cup of chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes or until the apples are very tender.  Puree in a food processor until very smooth.  Place back in the pot and add the carrot puree.  Heat gently over medium heat.  Stir in 1/2 can of coconut milk. 
Add up to 1/2 cup of chicken stock for desired soup consistency, the soup should be a puree and not very thin.  Taste for seasoning.  Depending on the sweetness of the carrots, you may or may not need to add some honey or brown sugar, do not add regular sugar as it will only add sweetness but not a depth of flavor.  Taste and re-season with salt and pepper.  Because I used golden delicious apples in the recipe and didn't have very sweet carrots I found myself adding about 2 tablespoons of honey, but it's a matter of taste.  It was sweet and savory, spicy and earthy, with a mellow carrot apple flavor.  If you wish, at this point, you can pass the soup through a sieve or a chinois for a finer texture, but I left it as is. 

Serve warm, topped with toasted walnuts, bacon, and a swirl of cream or creme fraiche.

1 comment:

  1. This looks fantastic. I love soup and the carrot and apple combination is one I haven't tried. I will definitely try this (minus the bacon as I'm vegetarian) when the weather cools down here. Thanks for sharing!

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