moroccan carrot soup

December 13, 2010

There is comforting soup and then there’s comforting soup. Take a look at what my world looked like the day I made this:

That’s me, up to my thighs in snow. We had the worst snow storm in twenty years this weekend. That, evidently, is what I signed up for when I moved to Minnesota.

It was pretty nuts. Dan and I went out for a walk and came across so many neighbours stuck in the snow as they tried to drive or move their cars for the impending snow emergency parking restrictions. Impossible.

14 inches of snow and snow drifts several feet high…crazy, I tell you! Dan and I tried to get out ourselves for a party we really wanted to go to and spent an hour trying to get out of our driveway…and back in. Not happening.

So, when I go on about how winter in Minnesota demands soup, maybe you’ll understand it a little better now. I tell you what, growing up in England did not prepare me for this! We came in from the snow, defrosted a little and then I made this soup.

Moroccan cuisine intrigues me massively. The flavours in this soup are just immense.  I’ve never had anything quite like it and certainly never made anything like it. Rice in soup we all know about, but milk? Egg yolks? Mint? Try it. I promise, it might blow your mind.

I take zero credit for this soup by the way- I was wading in unknown territory here and followed Allegra McEvedy’s recipe down to the last sprinkling of paprika.

It’s creamy (milk, egg yolks, rice) and the toasted cumin and mint are such an amazing combination, I can barely describe it. I will say this, don’t leave out anything – all the flavours in this soup combine perfectly to give it the unique taste it has. The cumin and mint are absolutely essential.

Moroccan Carrot Soup

adapted from The Guardian

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 6 large carrots
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 1 cup plus 2/3 tbsp milk
  • 5 cups chicken or veg stock
  • 2 egg yolks
  • small handful of mint, chopped
  • sprinkling of paprika

Directions

1. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until you can smell their flavour, then crush with the side of a knife.

2. Wash and roughly chop the carrots into 3cm chunks, then sweat them on a medium heat in the butter for 10-15 minutes.

3. Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes or until ready, then drain.

4. Once the carrots are beginning to go golden, cover with the milk and stock, bring to the boil and simmer until tender. This will take about 10 minutes.

5. Blend the soup to a rough consistency, then tip back into the pan and add the rice and cumin. Simmer for a few more minutes.

6. Pull off the heat, whisk in the yolks one by one, stir in the chopped mint, season well and serve immediately with a sprinkle of paprika.

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