When we were living in New York, we'd sometimes go to E.A.T. for lunch. I always found the restaurant too expensive for what you got, but I did love their carrot soup, which was just so amazingly fresh and concentrated. Now whenever I make carrot soup, I try to emulate E.A.T.'s version. The key, I've found, is to use water, not stock. Stock just muddies the taste. By using water, you get this amazingly fresh carrot flavor. This is a super easy recipe.
About a dozen carrots, peeled and cut into smallish pieces
A tiny clove of garlic, peeled and smashed (use side of knife or bottom of glass)
A chunk of ginger about an inch long, peeled, cut up and smashed (smash same way as garlic)
Water
Pinch of ground cumin (optional, but nice to add because cumin has an incredible affinity for carrots)
Salt and pepper
Put the carrots, garlic and ginger in a pot. Add water--but only enough to just cover the carrots. What you want is a very thick, concentrated, bright orange soup. Cook until the carrots are tender (10-15 minutes). Add ground cumin (if using). Then blend using an immersion blender. If the soup is too thick for you, feel free to add more water. Now adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Japanese Turnips
I was shopping at Marukai this weekend when I saw the most delectable looking turnips I'd ever seen. Plump, round bulbs with lovely green leaves and sturdy stalks. I had no idea what to do with them but decided I couldn't pass up anything that looked so fresh and good.
Back at home, I pondered and pondered. You can always pickle turnips. Or eat them raw. Or make soup. I decided to pickle one turnip and make soup out of the rest.
But before making anything, I decided to eat a piece raw. I was expecting something crunchy, something with a bit of bite. But not this turnip. It was creamy! Like turnip ice cream. I could have eaten all four bulbs right there on the spot.
What I did to make the soup was pretty easy. I sliced up the turnips (unpeeled because they were so tender) and added it to chicken stock (made simply with chicken, garlic and ginger, salt and pepper). I also added the chopped up greens. Again, the turnips defied expectation because I was thinking the greens were going to take some time. Nope. Within five minutes they were ready to eat. And the soup was incredible! Definitely an A.
For the pickles, I left the bulb and greens whole. First I salted them for twenty minutes. And then I added them to well-salted water, with green onions, a slice of ginger, and two sliced cloves of garlic. Now the turnip is resting in the refrigerator, but the pickling liquid tastes great already!
Back at home, I pondered and pondered. You can always pickle turnips. Or eat them raw. Or make soup. I decided to pickle one turnip and make soup out of the rest.
But before making anything, I decided to eat a piece raw. I was expecting something crunchy, something with a bit of bite. But not this turnip. It was creamy! Like turnip ice cream. I could have eaten all four bulbs right there on the spot.
What I did to make the soup was pretty easy. I sliced up the turnips (unpeeled because they were so tender) and added it to chicken stock (made simply with chicken, garlic and ginger, salt and pepper). I also added the chopped up greens. Again, the turnips defied expectation because I was thinking the greens were going to take some time. Nope. Within five minutes they were ready to eat. And the soup was incredible! Definitely an A.
For the pickles, I left the bulb and greens whole. First I salted them for twenty minutes. And then I added them to well-salted water, with green onions, a slice of ginger, and two sliced cloves of garlic. Now the turnip is resting in the refrigerator, but the pickling liquid tastes great already!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
What I Just Cooked: Leek And Potato Soup
Leek and potato soup. This is such a simple soup to make. All you really need is water, a potato, and 1 - 3 leeks, depending on the size of the leeks. To make it richer, you can add the optional ingredients of milk or half-and-half or cream (depending on how rich you want to make it) and maybe some nice cheese (I like provolone but pecorino is nice too). To make the soup, you just need to peel and wash the potato, cut it into smallish cubes and put it into a medium pot. Add water just to cover. Bring water to boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Add about a tablespoon of salt (or less to suit your taste or dietary requirements) and a sprinkling of pepper. Cook for about fifteen minutes. In the meanwhile clean the leeks. This is the only really tough part because leeks are a pain.
The way I clean leeks is this: first trim the leeks and get rid of all the tough green parts (the yellow and yellow-ish green parts are still good for soup); after trimming, take a large knife and cut the leek in half, beginning from just below the root (you want to keep the root attached because this will make it easier to clean); now clean the leek under running water, making sure to check between all the layers of the leek. But another way of cleaning leeks is this: cut off the root end; cut the leek in half; slice the leek the way you would slice an onion; put the cut-up leeks into a bowl; put water into the bowl; swish around and get the leeks clean; drain the leeks into a colander; rinse again with water; let drain.
If you cleaned the leeks my way, slice up the leeks. If you cleaned the leeks the other way, you're ahead of the game. By this time, the potatoes which have been simmering should be ready. Add the leeks and cook for another five minutes. Then, using either a blender or a food processor, blend the soup until it's nice and smooth. At this point, you can add the optional ingredients, the milk or the cheese or both. And serve.
Today I served the soup with little rectangles of toasted sour dough bread.
How did it turn out? I'd give it an A. It's a very filling soup. I used cream and cheese, with a garnish of sour cream. For a really cold day like today, boy, did I need the cream!
The way I clean leeks is this: first trim the leeks and get rid of all the tough green parts (the yellow and yellow-ish green parts are still good for soup); after trimming, take a large knife and cut the leek in half, beginning from just below the root (you want to keep the root attached because this will make it easier to clean); now clean the leek under running water, making sure to check between all the layers of the leek. But another way of cleaning leeks is this: cut off the root end; cut the leek in half; slice the leek the way you would slice an onion; put the cut-up leeks into a bowl; put water into the bowl; swish around and get the leeks clean; drain the leeks into a colander; rinse again with water; let drain.
If you cleaned the leeks my way, slice up the leeks. If you cleaned the leeks the other way, you're ahead of the game. By this time, the potatoes which have been simmering should be ready. Add the leeks and cook for another five minutes. Then, using either a blender or a food processor, blend the soup until it's nice and smooth. At this point, you can add the optional ingredients, the milk or the cheese or both. And serve.
Today I served the soup with little rectangles of toasted sour dough bread.
How did it turn out? I'd give it an A. It's a very filling soup. I used cream and cheese, with a garnish of sour cream. For a really cold day like today, boy, did I need the cream!
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