After participating in Applefest this past weekend, I was left with a giant bag of apples.
So I did what anyone else would do – I started researching recipes that called for apples. I turned to my trusty Apple cookbook that Matt’s sister gave us for Christmas a few years ago.
Even though it was humid out, I wanted to make soup for dinner on Sunday. I decided upon a carrot, apple and ginger soup recipe. The results were pretty good, although I ended up putting in some extra ground ginger at the end. And the recipe probably makes at least 6 servings, even though the recipe says that it serves 4.
And when I served the soup to Matt, it was like a mini lesson of Sesame Street, where the word of the day was “Parsnip” a new vegetable in Matt’s diet. He was skeptical at first, but after a few slurps of soup, he was sold.
Carrot, Apple and Ginger Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 leek, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 large parsnips, peeled and finely chopped
3 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 teaspoons ginger paste or minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons finely grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
one 13-ounce can coconut cream (I used coconut milk)
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
sale and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- In a large heavy-based sauce pan, heat butter over medium heat until melted. Add leek and celery, and saute for about 3 minutes, or until leek is transparent (this will smell so good).
- Stir in carrots, parsnips, apples, ginger, nutmeg, orange rind and chili flakes. Add soup stock, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables and apples are tender. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Transfer soup to a food processor or blender (I used my immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Pour into a clean sauce pan and mix in coconut cream, cilantro, and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Transfer to individual bowls and garnish with cilantro and chili flakes before serving.
I had the soup again for lunch the next day and it was just as tasty! Enjoy!
