Curried Carrot Ginger Soup From Foster's Market Favorites Cookbook

Last month I received a preview copy of Foster's Market Favorites Cookbook and spent an evening marking all the recipes I wanted to make. For Thanksgiving dinner with friends I decided to make Curried Carrot Ginger Soup and it was a hit!

I normally try not to make a new recipe for the first time for a big get together, but the flavors and instructions in this recipe were straight forward, with just enough of a twist to make the soup stand out. I did not make my own curry powder, nor did I use butter. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as it is below. This soup makes quite a bit, so make sure you share it with those you love.

Sara Foster’s love of Southern fare began in her Granny Foster’s Tennessee kitchen. There, the combination of down-home comfort, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients, and dedicated preparation hooked her for life.

Now, in FOSTER’S MARKET FAVORITES: 25TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION, Sara Foster serves up more than 150 recipes, sharing with readers the dishes that have kept diners coming back to the beloved Durham, NC eatery that she opened in 1990.

In FOSTER’S MARKET FAVORITES, the award-winning cookbook author and restaurateur continues the tradition of soulful yet simple, seasonally inspired cooking, where tradition meets modern. These fresh, satisfying creations are casual enough for everyday family meals, but special enough to serve friends and guests.

Some of Sara’s mouth-watering recipes include: Pimiento Cheese Puffs, Pecan Sweet Potato Sticky Buns, Chicken and Black-Eyed Pea Soup, Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken with Sriracha Honey, Chile-Braised Pork Shoulder with Taco Fixings, Heirloom and Shell Bean Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette, Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Bread Pudding with Bourbon Hard Sauce, and Brown Sugar Apple Crisp with Crumb Topping. FOSTER’S MARKET FAVORITES is an all-inclusive collection of Southern cooking in which simple feasts meet artisanal ingredients, traditional tastes meet modern methods, and fantastic flavors make every bite a succulent mouthful of Southern comfort.

Curried Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients/introduction/ directions copied with permission from the publisher.

 

SPIKED WITH CURRY POWDER AND GINGER, this blazing orange soup tastes as warm as it appears.

To add more zest, top it off with a dollop of Harissa Buttermilk Yogurt Sauce (page 142).

Makes about 3 1/2 quarts / Serves 8 to 10

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 to 12 carrots (about 11/2 pounds), scrubbed and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and diced
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons Homemade Curry Powder (recipe below)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
8 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
1 (13 1/2-ounce) can light coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Sriracha Harissa Buttermilk Yogurt Sauce (page 142)
Lime wedges

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until sizzling hot. Add the onion, reduce  the heat to low and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and melt. Add the carrots, celery, parsnips and peppers and cook, stirring often, until the carrots are just cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, cumin and cardamom and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes more.

2. Stir in the broth, salt and pepper and reduce the heat to low, simmering, until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest and juice, coconut milk, cilantro, honey and Sriracha.

3. Allow the soup to cool slightly and place an immersion blender into the pot, or pour the cooled soup into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and puree until smooth. Serve warm with additional cilantro sprinkled on top and a swirl of Harissa Buttermilk Yogurt Sauce.

This soup can also be served chilled with wedges of lime to squeeze in.

HOMEMADE CURRY POWDER Make your own fresh and aromatic curry powder. In a small bowl or airtight container fitted with a lid, combine 1 tablespoon ground Hungarian paprika, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground turmeric, 2 teaspoons ground cardamom, 2 teaspoons ground yellow mustard, 2 teaspoons ground fennel seed, 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Stir or shake to blend. Store in an airtight container until ready to use, up to several months. Makes about 1/2 cup.  

BEYOND SOUP I often repurpose pureed soups like this one to flavor a simple broth for other dishes. If making a risotto, add 1/2 cup to the broth. Or if steaming mussels or scallops, thin 1 cup of the soup with a little white wine or fish stock.

Disclosure: I received a preview copy of the cookbook for free, but am not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.