Cream of carrot soup

[Guest guest]

Cream of carrot soup

(Stephen Gisselbrecht)

1 Sep 93 19:43:38 EDT

 

2 lbs. carrots

2 medium potatoes

3 or 4 large onions

1-2 *fists* of garlic (not cloves!)

~1 Tbl dried thyme

~2 tsp ground coriander seed

~2 tsp ground ginger root (less if you don't like hot food)

~1/2 tsp black pepper

~1/2 tsp ground cardamom

~1 C good red wine

1 C sour cream

salt to taste

 

Peel and dice the first four ingredients, and put in a large pot. Yeah,

it seems like a whole lot of garlic, but it makes a lot of soup and it's

going to cook for a long time. Add the seasonings, then the wine, then

water until the veggies are completely covered. Bring to a boil and

then slowly simmer, stirring occasionally, for hours. You cannot

overcook it at this point. When you think it's ready, test the largest

chunk of carrot you can find--it should be quite soft.

 

Strain the soup through a colander, reserving the liquid. Puree the

veggies in a food processor--you'll probably have to do this in batches.

Use a little of the liquid to help it form a smooth puree. Stir the

sour cream into the puree; you may not want to use the whole cup, so try

adding less and tasting it.

 

Strain the reserved broth into the puree through a fine-meshed sieve.

(The spices will have given up all their flavor by now, and they make

the soup kinda gritty.) Stir it in, and then *carefully* salt it.

 

Makes lots--probably enough for a first course for 10. Serve warm. If

desired, you can simmer some broccoli florets in the strained broth

while you're pureeing and then throw those in for color and texture

contrast.