Heirloom Carrot Soup, Madras Curry, Pea Shoots, Leeks
With evening temperatures in Southeastern Pennsylvania dropping into the 50's this week it's that time of year again to start thinking about soup. As the weather transitions from hot and humid to cool and mild your soup making should transition as well, from cold and lite to warm and rich. I could probably figure out a soup to make with just about any fruit or vegetable that I find at the market this time of year. But my favorite things to use are those that are dug right out of the dirt, root vegetables. The process for making these soups are usually the same; cut, season, saute, boil, puree. Throughout this process I will add any number of things to flavor the soup or better it's texture. While pureed soups are great on their own they become even better when garnished as you see this one.
I diced three large orange carrots, a large leek and a small onion. I cooked the onion and leek in a sauce pot with butter, salt and pepper until very soft and slightly browned. I added the carrots along with some cumin and madras curry powder and cooked them for a few minutes. I added a splash of cane vinegar and some honey and cooked the vinegar off. I topped the carrots up with some carrot juice and chicken stock and cooked them til they were very soft and most of the liquid was gone. I pureed the carrots with some cold butter and heavy cream and then strained it.
I took the remaining carrots and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I tossed them in olive oil and roasted them in the oven for an hour to cook them through. After removing them from the oven I sliced them on a bias and set them in the bowl.
I poured the hot soup carefully into the bowl. I arranged the pea shoots around the carrots and added some drops of the curry oil. I made the oil by slowly heating some madras curry powder with grape seed oil and then straining it through cheesecloth.
Product:
Organic Heirloom Carrots - Root Mass Farm
Organic Pea Shoots - Weaver's Way
Organic Leeks - Blooming Glen Farm
I diced three large orange carrots, a large leek and a small onion. I cooked the onion and leek in a sauce pot with butter, salt and pepper until very soft and slightly browned. I added the carrots along with some cumin and madras curry powder and cooked them for a few minutes. I added a splash of cane vinegar and some honey and cooked the vinegar off. I topped the carrots up with some carrot juice and chicken stock and cooked them til they were very soft and most of the liquid was gone. I pureed the carrots with some cold butter and heavy cream and then strained it.
I took the remaining carrots and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I tossed them in olive oil and roasted them in the oven for an hour to cook them through. After removing them from the oven I sliced them on a bias and set them in the bowl.
I poured the hot soup carefully into the bowl. I arranged the pea shoots around the carrots and added some drops of the curry oil. I made the oil by slowly heating some madras curry powder with grape seed oil and then straining it through cheesecloth.
Product:
Organic Heirloom Carrots - Root Mass Farm
Organic Pea Shoots - Weaver's Way
Organic Leeks - Blooming Glen Farm