Chunky Carrot Tomato Soup
I raised my kids on Greek soup recipes and have more than a few up my proverbial sleeve, but this one, for chunky carrot tomato soup perfumed with great spices, is really special. Its simplicity belies its delicious, complex flavor. Soups are a great Mediterranean diet food category and this one, totally vegan and so satisfying, is one more reason to love this way of eating. The drizzling of extra virgin Greek olive oil at the end adds a beautiful touch and great texture! This carrot soup is the ultimate Greek diet comfort food soup!
SERVES 4
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin Greek olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions coarsely chopped
- 1 fennel bulb trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 1 2- inch knob of ginger peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 8 carrots peeled and coarsely chopped or cut into ½-inch rings
- 2 potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- Grated nutmeg to taste
- 1 star anise
- 1 strip of orange zest
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
Instructions
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Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pot or soup pot over medium heat and cook the onion, fennel, chopped ginger and garlic, stirring then closing the lid on the pot, for a few minutes for everything to sweat in the oil and soften up a bit.
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Add the carrots and potatoes and toss to coat in the oil. Add the powdered spices, freshly grated nutmeg to taste, whole star anise and orange zest. Season with salt and pepper, stir everything together, lower the heat, cover the pot and let everything cook for about 8 minutes, until softened.
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Stir in the tomatoes, then add enough water to come about 2 inches above the contents of the pot. Simmer covered for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. Serve and drizzle each portion with a little more olive oil.