Soupruary 10th: Curried Carrot

UPDATE: I was totally harsh and unfair to this soup. I just ate leftovers for lunch, and it was really very good. I would be pumped to have purchased it at any of the lovely delis around the city, so do temper any of my griping below a bit. Either it benefited from being refrigerated overnight, or I was a big, mean grouch last night.

Man, I totally did not feel like soup tonight. After an epic night last night, knowing I was in for a quiet night at home, I could've been perfectly satisfied snacking on leftover cheese.


But, hey, I'm no quitter.

I've made a few carrot soups before, and none of them have really been memorable or repeat-worthy. Not wanting to give up on Ye Olde Carrot as an entire category of soups, I thought I'd try again (as previously noted: not a quitter).

Unfortunately, I'd have to say this was again unmemorable and won't see my kitchen again. Oh, it was a perfectly edible and even fairly good soup, but when you're making this many, there's no reason to stick with something that doesn't just exhaust your taste buds from too much delight. On the plus side: while this wasn't a home run, it was hearty (especially for a smooth soup) and felt nourishing and comforting on a cold night. Who knows, though: maybe it was great and my lack of enthusiasm for cooking last night had everything to do with my meh reaction. Stranger things have happened.

I think my issue with the carrot soups I've made is that they're just a bit too sweet for me. I need to bring the savory, and I'll keep trying until I find one that works. Um, maybe.

This was an awesome excuse to buy pistachios (boy, do I love pistachios), and the not-actually-cream turned out really tasty with some good sharpness from the raw garlic. May figure out some other way to use it (as I have, of course, some still in the fridge).

Curried Carrot Soup with Cilantro-Pistachio Cream

adapted from A Beautiful Bowl of Soup, by Paulette Mitchell

cream:
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup salted pistachios
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons milk

soup:
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup ccoarsely chopped apple1 cup coarsely chopped red onion
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 cup vegetable stock
5 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

to serve:
Greek yogurt
sliced fresh chives

Make the cream by combining all ingredients in a food processor. Chill until ready to serve.

Melt butter in your soup pot over medium heat. Add apple and onion and cook until onion is translucent. Add curry powder and stir to combine.

Add carrots and stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until carrots are tender (about 20 minutes).

Remove from heat and blend soup with an immersion blender. Add milk, return to heat and stir until warmed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with a dab of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of cilantro cream, and chopped chives.