I’m back from my holidays in Spain and a nice break in Cambrils. Nothing much to report on the food side, we spent the time BBQing steak and home-made burgers and doing some simple pasta dishes. Of course the wine is extraordinarily cheap, €4 for a Torres Viña Sol which retails for over twice that in Ireland at €10 and €8 for a Marques De Caceres Crianza which is normally €12 to €14 in Ireland. Even when you factor in the €2.05 per bottle Government Duty and our 5% higher VAT rate those prices still do not equate. I must consult with some of the online wine folk (see the “Wine” section under “Links” over on the right of the page) and see if they have any theories on this.
OK. Now for something completely different: Carrot and Ginger soup. Carrot is good for the eyes while Ginger is good for nausea among other things. Ergo if you have a sickness of the eyes this is the soup for you. As a test to see if you absolutely need to make this soup or not look for the anomaly between the photos and the text. If you cannot find it make the soup. If you can find it post a comment and make the soup anyway.
Ingredients:
1 Large clove of Garlic finely sliced
1/2 Inch (about half a thumb) of Ginger finely sliced.
2 Medium Onions
12-15 Carrots sliced
2 Pints of Chicken or Veg stock
1/2 Teaspoon coriander
1 Tablespoon of Olive oil
Method
Chop the onion into slices and gently fry in the olive oil with the garlic, coriander and chopped ginger. After about 7minutes when the onion is nicely cooked add in the carrots and stir around for a minute or two. Add the stock, bring to the boil and then cover and gently simmer the mix for 20 minutes or until the carrots are cooked. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Blend the mixture and season to taste. Serve with a sprig of fresh coriander if you have some.
10/07/2009 at 10:08 am Permalink
I’ve seen a similar soup made with the addition of potatoes for a bit more thickness. What do you think?
It sounds delicious either way!
11/07/2009 at 1:41 am Permalink
Nice idea Dave, the soup made to the quantities above is pretty think as it is, I think some extra water/stock would be needed to soak into the spuds but you’d have a full dinner in a bowl once you’re done. Thanks
11/07/2009 at 7:11 pm Permalink
Glad you are back- did not know you were on holidays. I was just in Cork at the Mahon Point Farmers Market last week while on my holidays and loved every single bite! Gubeen Salami, amazing indian spices and melty smooth hot chocolate were my favorites.
As for the soup, I love that it does not contain cream, which makes it lighter for summer. I think I will make it this week from the carrots at my farmers market!
12/07/2009 at 2:33 am Permalink
Hope you enjoyed the trip to Cork Ellen. The temptation is to add cream to a lot of soups but a good (slightly healthier) alternative is a tablespoon of Mascarpone cheese. Works great with Mushroom soup.
22/07/2009 at 1:34 pm Permalink
I agree. Soup without cream is a bonus. I like the carrot and ginger combination. We normally make a batch of carrot and parsnip but will try this on next soup manufacturing slot in the Bandon kitchen.