In Beirut, February brings cold, dampness, illness, and unreasoned arguments from otherwise bright people that the cold and damp are alone responsible for the aforementioned illness. However stupid this idea is, I do feel a strange sense of camaraderie with these boobs since, almost in spite of myself, I still think that eating soup when sick or cold is kind of therapeutic.
I also get little thrills from stumbling onto soups that I would never have thought possible or at least advisable - as in the case of today's subject. In theory, this soup makes little sense. Who uses carrot as a base, for Christ's sake? But it not only works, it's easy and probably kind of good for you if you go easy on the fatty stuff.
Since I'm nursing a sinus infection that makes my head feel like a moldy, stomped-in pumpkin three weeks after Halloween, I'll keep this short and relatively civil. Also in spite of myself.
A word on ingredients: if you use withered little carroty wraiths, the soup will suck. Make sure your roots are turgid, virile and sweet. I use lebneh (Greek Yogurt) because it is always in my fridge and is cheap here. You might want to use something else, like a splash of heavy cream or maybe some half and half. You're a smart kid, I trust your decision on that one. You can add more of the spices if you want, I didn't want to scare you.
Ingredients:
5 large carrots
1 medium sized potato
1 large onion
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp butter plus 1 of olive oil
2-3 cups water
3/4 cup lebneh (greek yogurt) or some sort of creaming agent
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground dried ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg (fresh grate it for nerd points)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp safflower
1 tsp celery salt
salt and pepper to taste
The Process:
1. Cut up your onion and garlic, grind your ginger and put it in a bowl, then peel and cube the carrots and potatoes and put them together in a bowl. Mix the spices together in a little bowl for a quick toss in.
2. Melt the butter on medium heat with some olive oil - when it's hot, add in the onions, garlic and ginger. Let it cook down for a bit, making sure the garlic isn't burning. I know you're not supposed to add the garlic just yet, but it's not going to cook for long.
3. When the onions are sweaty and clear, toss in the spices and bay leaves and stir in, followed quickly by the carrots and potatoes. Stir it together, then add the water (just to the top of the vegetables). Cover and cook for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
4. Put about 4/5 of the soup in a blender with the lebneh, reserving some of the carrot and potato chunks in the pot for texture. REMOVE THE BAY LEAVES, but reserve them to add in again later. Blend it up, then transfer it back into the pot, adding the bay leaves and salt to taste. Cook it on low for about ten minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and let it rest a bit (never serve soup scalding hot, you miss out on so many flavors), then add fresh pepper to each bowl as you spoon them out.
Serve this as an appetizer, a main course, or whatever. It's delightful leftover and tastes really good with chunks of fresh bread dipped in it.
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