While carrots are sometimes regarded as an all-season staple, the petite early harvest varieties of spring have an especially sweet flavor, delicate skin and sublime range of color. The jewel-tone hues may beckon at the farmers market, but their virtue is more than skin deep. Red carrots are rich in lycopene, widely thought to help prevent heart disease. Yellow carrots promote eye health and purple carrots are high in powerful antioxidants.
As for the cooked vs. raw debate, so carrot soup is one way to go, and the sweet flavor of spring carrots is a perfect foil for spice and heat either way. Print
Carrot Soup with Chili and Lime Oil
While a lot of carrot soup recipes verge on the cloyingly sweet, we like ours with a bit of zip and hit of spice, so we’re squeezing some lime juice and slicing serranos!
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
- 3 Serrano chilies, thinly sliced, divided
- 2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 lime
- 1 small handfull chopped cilantro, to garnish
- Lime olive oil (Stonehouse Olive Oil Co. in the Ferry building makes a great one.)
Instructions
In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic, coriander seeds and half of one Serrano chili. Sauté until all ingredients are soft but not browned, another 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.
Add carrots and potatoes, and stir. Add chicken stock, and bring to a simmer until the carrots and potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
Purée in a food processor in 2 or 3 batches, and pour into a large bowl. Strain the soup through a mesh strainer, pressing on the solids, back into the clean saucepan. (You can put through the strainer a second time if your soup has too much texture.) Warm the puréed soup.
Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Finish soup with a drizzle of lime oil, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and couple slices of Serrano chili.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: California
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
Keywords: carrot soup
