Carrot and Coriander Soup 4 Comments

Feb 22, 2010

Carrot soup has been a favorite of mine for years. If it was available at a restaurant, I would always gravitate towards ordering it. And then I realized something: it’s really simple to make and very inexpensive. The recipe below results in a creamy, soft and light soup.

As you may know, if the recipe is on Jane Spice, it’s not going to be a bland, watery soup. Here, the carrots combine nicely with the onion, potato, chicken broth and orange juice. I add a little dairy, as well as coriander and turmeric. The addition of ground coriander anchors the carrots and gives the soup a bright lemony note, while the turmeric adds a warm and earthy undertone.

At about $1.59 a pound (even with high San Francisco prices), this elegant soup can be served at your next dinner party without going way beyond your budget. Why pay so much more for a bowl of this at a restaurant when you can make it yourself at home?

This recipe only serves four, so my advice is to double the recipe and freeze any leftover soup. That way, you can enjoy it again later!

Ingredients

1	tablespoon butter
1 ½	cups diced white or yellow onion
1	clove garlic, minced
1	tablespoon ground coriander
1	teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)
4	cups chicken broth
½	cup orange juice
5	medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1	medium potato, peeled and cut into cubes
¾	cup half and half, heavy cream or whole milk
¼	cup cilantro (optional)
–	Salt and pepper

Serves

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

55 minutes

Directions

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and saute until tender about 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, coriander and turmeric and cook for one minute. Add the chicken broth, orange juice, carrots and potato and bring soup to a boil. Simmer the soup over medium-high heat until the carrots are tender, about 35-45 minutes.

Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the cream. Warm the soup over medium heat until hot. Stir in the cilantro, if using and season with salt and pepper and taste!