The Sunday after Thanksgiving: Carrot Soup

The Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Cannot eat any more left overs.  It is cold outside.  I have pounds of unused carrots and onions.  It's time for carrot soup.  I served garlic bread with fresh roast fennel along with the soup.


The Carrot by ~Klakikocia on deviantART

(Measurements and times are approximate as I threw this meal together on the fly.)

Olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 inches of fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 tablespoon kosher salt (more or less to taste)
2 pounds carrots, washed, peeled and cut into chunks
1 can coconut milk

In large stock pot, saute onions in oil until they become fragrant and soften.  When transparent add garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, salt, stirring well to blend with the onions.  Continue to saute until spices become fragrant. Add carrots and stir to blend well with the onion/spice mixture.  Add 12 cups water.  Bring soup to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until carrots soften (or longer if you like).  Turn of the heat, and let the soup sit for a few moments so it is no longer boiling hot.  Mash the carrots with a potato masher, then using an immersion blender, smooth out the soup.  (Alternatively, you can process everything in a blender but it is much easier this way).  Stir in the coconut milk.  Turn the heat back on, and bring the soup back to a boil, stirring occasionally to blend the coconut milk.

We also had left over fennel so to accompany the soup, we had garlic bread with roast fennel:

2 bulbs fennel (either whole or cut in half), washed and trimmed
Lots of olive oil
Kosher salt

1 baguette sliced in half the long way
Olive oil
Fresh pressed garlic to taste

Preheat oven to 450.  Place the fennel in a pan.  Coat liberally with olive oil, sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven.  Roast until soft and caramelized. 

At some point, coat each half of the baguette with olive oil and rub with garlic.  Stick it in the oven and bake, checking frequently until it reaches desired toastiness.

Serve topped with the fennel, either sliced or mashed in.  This meal is good with beer -- a nice hoppy beer.