"Souper" Comforting

As my friend Julie will tell you, soup is my comfort food.  With the weather crisp and cool these days, I find myself wanting to make and eat soup more often.  This week I'll be posting some of my favorite soup recipes, new and old.  The first is such a different tasting and comforting fall soup that I knew it had to start off "Soup Week".  I  adapted this recipe from a great vegetarian cookbook called "Complete Vegetarian", published by Hermes House.  I changed very little about this recipe and haven't felt the urge to meddle with it, which is nearly unheard of for me.  I was extremely glad my botanist husband could clue me in on what fresh coriander was.  It saved me the research time.  I've included that clue in the recipe below.

Hope you enjoy this first installment of "Soup Week".  Happy slurping!!!

Carrot Coriander Soup               
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups of carrots (peeled and cut into chunks)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 stick of celery (sliced), plus 2-3 pale leafy celery tops
2 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
4 cups of stock
3 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander (also known as cilantro)
3/4 cup of milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1. Peel and chop carrots. Heat the oil and 2 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan. Saute onion over gentle heat for 3-4 minutes, until slightly softened. Do not allow to brown.
2.) Slice the celery and chop the potatoes. Add them to the onions and cook for a few minutes, then add the carrots. Continue to cook over a gentle heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring and then cover.
3.) Reduce the heat even further and sweat vegetables for about 10 minutes. Shake the pan or stir occasionally so the vegetables do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
4.) Add the stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Half cover the pan and simmer for a further 8-10 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
5.) Remove 6-8 tiny celery leaves for garnish and finely chop the remaining celery tops. Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan and saute the ground coriander for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
6.) Reduce the heat and add the chopped celery tops and fresh coriander and saute for about 1 minute - set aside.
7.) Process the soup in a food processor or blender and pour into a clean saucepan. Stir in the milk and coriander mixture. Season, heat gently, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve the soup garnished with the reserved celery leaves.
*** also tastes good garnished with a bit of sour cream, cheese or hot pepper sauce.


For printable version click here