Carrot and Almond Soup

Sat 18 Nov 2006

Time for a big cook up in the flat - if we needed an excuse, it was housemate's almost birthday and one month ... and she felt like some steak. Of course, I can't just cook steak - the meal has to be the full three courses, with plenty of wine to wash it all down.

First course ended up being a recipe I spotted recently on Arts Culinaires: carrot and almond soup. It was a happy coincidence, because Slashfood is also having a nut celebration and I thought this would be something a bit different.

The lazy cook part of me loves soups, because you just welly everything in a pan and maybe you do, maybe you don't, apply the stab mixer at the end. They're pretty hard to stuff up and they're healthy too!

So - to make carrot and almond soup heat some olive oil in a pot and add half a large onion, coarsely chopped. Allow the onion to soften and turn translucent and then add loads of chopped carrot. I used 4 rather huge carrots, which I'd peeled (they weren't organic). Stir this around and add two cloves of garlic - peeled and given a good whack with the knife. Finally add some stock of your choice and cover the soup, cooking it very slowly until the carrots are done.

When you are finally ready to whizz, add 2 tablespoons of ground almonds, and then puree. The almonds do an excellent job of helping to thicken the mix, and because the garlic has been cooked so gently, the soup will smell very fragrant. Serve dressed with a little chopped parsley.

The original recipe suggests stirring in a little soy sauce - but I passed on this. I was worried it would destroy the pretty orange colour and make the soup too salty (I used a stock cube).

We all decided it would have been an unnecessary addition. There was loads of flavour from the garlic and carrot. The almonds didn't contribute an identifiable taste or texture, although they definitely acted as a thickening agent. I think they also served to enhance the sweetness of the carrot.

Very importantly - the soup was served with the pepper grinder on the table, and a bottle of Selaks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Tagged with: carrots, soup

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