Carrot Soup with Cloves

Carrot soup is a classic for Rosh Hashanah. One year I cooked some with harissa and coconut and my husband said it was the best soup he ever tasted. There's a slightly different version in my cookbook, The Modern Kosher Kitchen.

But I'm always trying new recipes -- because for us, carrot soup is beyond holiday festive. It's a healer, a comforter. Ok, not like chicken soup.  But still -- it's a dish I make for new moms or when someone isn't feeling up to par or when anyone I know is a little grumpy or sad.

This carrot soup recipe welcomes even before you taste it with its scent of cloves and cinnamon. I used Aleppo pepper for heat, but if you don't like spicy, you can leave it out.

 

CARROT SOUP WITH CLOVES AND PEPPER (P)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium all-purpose potato, peeled and chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 6 whole cloves
• 1-inch piece cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or crushed red pepper)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the carrots, potato, ginger, cloves, cinnamon stick and Aleppo pepper. Stir to mix the ingredients. Pour in stock. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Remove the cloves and cinnamon stick. Puree the soup. Add the coconut milk, stir to blend the mixture until it is uniform in color and heat through.

Makes 4-6 servings

Old Fashioned Carrot Soup

In our family, when there’s a baby about to be born, we cook a bunch of stuff to freeze so that the tired, sleep-deprived new Mom and Dad don’t have to worry about dinner. My daughters Meredith and Gillian and I make stuff like Spinach Pie, Baked Ziti, Bean Soup and so on, pack them into family-size containers and put them in cold storage until the time comes.

So it’s a good thing we start well ahead because SURPRISE, we got a call at about 4:00 a.m. on September 30th that Gillian was on her way to the birthing center, 17 days before the due date and lickety-split, baby Carina Joy was born before we could even get there.

We are thrilled of course. New babies do that. Carina has a head-full of hair and two fat dimples. Gillian, who worked out almost every day and is fit as ever, is doing well and looks great.

All of this happened suddenly to Gillian and Jesse after a big move and in the middle of pre-school applications for Remy, age 2 (for next year!).

So yesterday I opened the freezer and brought them a few stored items, including this carrot soup. Dinner was all done.

Old Fashioned Carrot Soup

·      2 tablespoons butter or margarine

·      2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·      1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

·      2 pounds carrots, coarsely chopped

·      2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

·      1/4 cup chopped parsley

·      2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

·      1-1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

·      freshly ground black pepper to taste

·      7 cups vegetable stock

·      pinch of sugar

·      1 cup cream (any kind) or cream substitute

Heat the butter and vegetable oil together in a soup pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the carrots, potatoes, parsley, dill, salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock and sugar. Bring the soup to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender (or use a hand blender). Return the soup to the pan. Stir in the cream. Heat the soup through and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Carrot Soup with Harissa and Coconut

Carrot Soup with Harissa and Coconut Milk

“This is the best dish I ever tasted in my life!”

That is an exact quote from my husband after tasting a carrot soup I made recently. It’s got some heat, thanks to Harissa (a peppery condiment originally from North Africa). But the spiciness is tamed by rich, creamy, coconut milk.

I’ve been experimenting with coconut milk for two reasons. First, because I’ve read that it’s healthy (it has medium chain fatty acids which are so-called good fats). And also because although it acts like dairy, it isn’t. So if you can’t digest dairy or you want to mix meat and something dairy-like in a meal, coconut milk is the thing for you!

This recipe was based on a soup my Mom served occasionally when she wanted us to eat vegetables and we wouldn’t. But she used fresh dill (a terrific partner for carrots), not Harissa, and enriched the soup with half and half cream. So you could always try that version too (1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill).

Btw, you can buy Harissa in jars in the supermarket. I also give a recipe for Harissa in my book, Hip Kosher.

Carrot Soup with Harissa and Coconut Milk

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 medium cloves garlic, chopped

• 1-1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced

• 4 cups vegetable stock

• 6 whole cloves

• 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons harissa

• 1 cup coconut milk

• salt to taste

• toasted coconut for garnish, optional

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the carrots, stock and cloves, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan partially and cook for 25 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Remove the cloves. Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or use a standing blender or food processor). Return the soup to the pan. Whisk in the Harissa. Whisk in the coconut milk. Bring the soup to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste. Serve garnished with toasted coconut if desired.

Makes 6 servings