Roasted Carrot Soup
This is an original recipe that brings together a lot of deep, earthy flavors for a rich, warming soup that is perfect for a cold day. Roasting the carrots completely transforms the ingredient and brings those sweet, complex caramelized notes. The earthiness is really accentuated with the dukkah— a Middle Eastern blend of herbs, spices, and nuts (hazelnut, in this case). The recipe I used was based off the one from Yotam Ottolenghi's Masterclass. I highly recommend having some dukkah on hand; it’s delicious and very versatile!
Recipe
Ingredients:
1.5lb carrots, halved and cut into small chunks
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion , chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sprig rosemary, minced
6 sage leaves, minced
6 sprigs thyme (or lemon thyme)
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Salt
Pepper
4tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp sherry vinegar
6 cups vegetable broth
Directions:
Coat carrots with 2 tbsp olive oil, a healthy dose of freshly cracked black pepper, smoked paprika, and 1tsp salt. Roast in the oven on a baking sheet at 425F for approximately 30-40 minutes, flipping carrots half way.
Toast cumin, coriander, and fennel on medium-low heat until fragrant. Finely grind spices.
Sautee fennel and onions on medium-high heat with a 2 tbsp olive oil and a large pinch of salt until vegetables are lightly browned.
Add sweet potato, garlic, spices, and herbs, stirring for 1-2 minutes to incorporate flavors.
Add vegetable broth, bring to a boil and then simmer for ~15 minutes. Add roasted carrots and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Add sherry vinegar, several grinds of freshly cracked black pepper, and salt to taste.
Blend soup, either in small batches in the blend (caution with steam, soup is hot!) or using an immersion blender.
Serve soup, garnishing with hazelnut dukkah (see note above), cream (or coconut milk if serving vegan), and fried sage.
