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Carrot Soup is one of the most popular soups to cook, and be done all year round, although using fresh carrots from the market is a step above. Carrot Soup is quick and easy to make yet can be elevated to a very elegant level with the addition of a few extra ingredients. We like to roast the carrots in the oven after saauteing them duck fa. This adds another dimension of richness, but for vegans using olive oil works fine. The use of curry and ginger gives a nice spicey component to the dish as does the addition of toasted Espelette pepper croutons. Espelette pepper is only mildy hot but very flavorful and used instead of cayenne by many chefs.
Ingredients
Service for 4
8 medium sized carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups carrot juice
1/2 tbsp. curry
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
3 tabsp butter
croutons and pea shoots for garnish
salt, black pepper, espelette pepper
Directions
Preparing the Roasted Carrots
Clean and cut the carrots into 1 inch pieces. Saute the carrots on top of the stove with olive oil (if you have duck fat that will enhance the overall flavor of the dish. Roast the carrots in the oven for 25 minutes at 425F.
For the Soup
Saute the onions in a soup pot till they just begin to brown then add the ginger and curry. Stir on low heat to release the aromas then add the carrots, chicken stock (or vegetable stock) and carrot juice (we use Bolthouse-100%). Adding the carrot juice is especially helpful in the winter months when fresh market carrots are not available. Cook for 10 minutes on low flame or until carrots are soft. Let the soup cool a few minutes then blend the soup and pass through a sieve.
Whisk in the butter before serving.
Preparing the Toasted Croutons
A day before preparing the soup dice a french roll into small cubes (aobut 1/3 inch). Saute the bread croutons in olive oil. Light season with Espelette pepper. After toasted rest the crouton on paper towels till ready to garnish the soup.
Assembling the Dish
Ladle soup into bowls, add croutons and garnish with pea shoots and a dash of Espelette pepper and olive oil.
