Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Caribbean Carrot Soup

We make two soups every day at Dish... Real Food. It is how I start my day at the shop. I've been making soup forever - but it wasn't until it became one of the main focuses of my "to do" list that I realized how much I like making it. We may come to a point where I don't have the luxury of using what inspires me on a daily basis but for now, I simply look around the kitchen and use what's on hand to start.

We try to make at least one of our daily soups Gluten-Free and/or Paleo and this soup definitely fits both of those categories. Because carrots have a bit of starchiness to them, they have soup thickening qualities you would normally use flour (an obvious gluten-free and Paleo no-no) or potatoes (a Paleo rule-breaker) for thickening. We have made this soup with carrots and also with sweet potatoes. Both are delish - but the sweet potato tends to be a bit more popular at the shop.

This recipe falls in the "few simple ingredients" category. The carrots are obviously the star of the show - but you can absolutely use another vegetable (possibly with a few additional spices).

2 cups onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 inch piece ginger
2 whole cloves garlic
1 teaspoon curry
3-4 cups stock, vegetable or chicken
4 cups carrots (or sweet potatoes)
1 cup orange juice
1 can coconut milk



In a heavy stock pot, saute the onions, garlic and ginger about 10 minutes. 


Add the curry, stock and vegetables and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.




Add the orange juice and coconut milk. Puree with a hand blender and season to taste.