Carrot Soup

Last Friday night we had two of Zachary's friends and their families over for Shabbat dinner. The boys have been busy saying goodbye for several days as this gang of good buddies splits up to go off to college. We were a group of 10 for dinner and I made carrot soup based on a recipe from Epicurious. It was a hit and the subtle flavors of ginger, curry, mustard, and coriander were quite special balanced against the sweet carrots.

You will want to try this, especially as it is so inexpensive, nutritious and very low calorie.

I didn't follow the recipe exactly; I used double the amounts of the seasonings; curry powder, ground coriander, dry yellow mustard powder and olive oil. I used water with some soup powder instead of stock. The original recipe also calls for a dollop of yogurt as a garnish but as we were having a meat dinner, no yogurt! I garnished with a sprig of fresh picked oregano from the yard.

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (preferably Madras)
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
5 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Grind coriander and mustard seeds in spice mill to fine powder.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add ground seeds and curry powder; stir 1 minute. Add ginger; stir 1 minute. Add next 3 ingredients. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 5 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick. Stir in lime juice; season with salt and pepper.
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