Senegalese Curried Carrot Soup

Less is more. Or with less you can make more. This Senegalese Curried Carrot Soup seemed relatively easy to make with the most complicated component being the blender. The number of ingredients is not a lot so selecting quality products makes a better soup. I am not so sure exactly what makes this soup "Senegalese" aside from the addition of good quality curry powder or the combination with milk. In any case, the soup seemed extremely easy to make and would produce a standout result that would make people wonder what really went into it.

With this recipe, I lacked the vegetable stock and bouillon to create vegetable stock, so a bit more curry powder was used before adding water. The flavor of the curry powder is spicy and strong enough to overwhelm the flavors of a vegetable stock. The block of butter I used was purchased in bulk so I may have cut off a 4 tablespoon chunk instead of 6, but even with less butter the vegetables still got coated and were not left too dry in the pan. The addition of milk to the soup gives it a creamy, cooler taste and smoother texture. The resulting carrot soup had an excellent kick from the curry used (and some heat as well) and brought more excitement to what would have been an ordinary soup.

Senegalese Curried Carrot Soup (adapted) serves 4
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cups roughly chopped carrots
3 cups vegetable stock
2 teaspoon good-quality, fresh curry powder
1.5 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Thick yogurt as garnish (optional)

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are translucent and carrots are almost soft, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle curry powder over vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, a few minutes more. Add stock and bring to a boil and then simmer until carrots are completely soft. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, in batches if necessary. Return to saucepan and whisk in milk. Heat the soup until a simmer and salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls and garnish with yogurt, if desired. May be served hot or cold.

Tomato Basil Soup

Although it is already March, winter seems to be dragging on, which leads to the comfort of the day: soup. With the purchase of a new and now broken blender (after less than 5 uses!!!), soups are the best use for it during winter months.

This Nordstrom Tomato Basil soup was eye-catching, particularly by the mention of carrots giving the soup a particular sweetness. Knowing that this recipe was written for a Western audience, more so in the States, the predicted outcome of the soup was unclear due to the size of the vegetables sold in Shanghai.

There was also some speculation on the recipe calling for heavy cream when only whipping cream is available in storage boxes. Whipping cream has less fat than heavy cream, 30-36% milk fat and 38-40% milk fat, respectively. The USDA regulates how much fat must be in certain dairy products sold in the US. What they are called has to do with fat content, not additives like carageenan. By law, to be called "heavy cream," a cream must have at least 36% milkfat and can have more. "Light whipping cream" must have at least 30% but less than 36% milkfat. "Light cream" (sometimes called "coffee cream") must have at least 18% milkfat, but less than 30%. "Half and Half" must have at least 10.5% milkfat, but less than 18%. The difference between using heavy cream and whipping cream in this recipe differed by a few milkfat percentages, but not so much to completely alter the soup. This is cooking, not baking.

The soup turned out to be really warming and slightly sweet. Fresh basil was used instead of dried.

Tomato Basil Soup (adapted)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large carrots peeled and diced(mine yielded about 450g)
1 small to medium onion, sliced
3 cans of 400g peeled tomatoes
2 cups water or chicken or vegetable stock
1 small bunch of fresh basil, finely chopped (reserve some of the fresh basil for garnish) or 1 Tablespoon dried basil
250ml or 1 cup heavy cream

In a heavy saucepan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrots and onions and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add basil and cook until vegetables are completely soft, about 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes and liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes. Allow the soup to cool somewhat before puréeing in a blender or food processor, doing so in batches if necessary. Return the soup to the pot and add cream over low heat, until desired texture is reached and the soup is heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.