ROASTED CARROT GINGER SOUP with CILANTRO CHILI OIL

Love is in the air.  Can you feel it?  I sure can.  I’ve been feeling especially mushy the last couple of days; like gushy, mushy.  

It could be because Billy had been on an eight day road trip and I was so looking forward to him getting home.  He got home in the wee hours Sunday morning, just in time for my birthday.  

Hey…It’s my birthday, and I’m gonna party like it’s my birthday!  Sorry about that; it’s not even my birthday any more, it was yesterday, but you can sing it on your birthday.

It could be because I saw Andrea Bocelli in concert on Friday night.  Seriously, I don’t have a clue what the words mean, but he moves me to tears.  Like, I was totally a blubbering fool.

It could be because there was a match made in heaven, right in my kitchen.  What’s that?  Yes, Carrot and Ginger were unified, married, joined together as one (by joined I mean blended of course) into the most glorious concoction known to man…Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup.

On their own carrot and ginger are quite nice, but bring them together with a little coconut milk and the result is something sweet and creamy.  Drizzle a little Cilantro Chili Oil over the top for some freshness and a little heat (ooh is it getting hot in here?).  Pile up some crispy fried onions in the middle of the bowl.  Why that’s just sassy?  This is one romantic soup!

Here’s how you make all that romance happen.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

There's no need to peel the carrots, just wash and scrub them.  Cut them into equally sized pieces; about 1 1/2 inches.  You need a couple of garlic cloves, don't peel those either.  Toss it all with a little canola oil and season with salt and pepper.  If you don't want to make the Cilantro Chili Oil, you may wish to sprinkle a pinch of cayenne on the carrots too.

Lay it all out in a single layer.  See those Serrano peppers, forget about them, that was a mistake.  Roast the carrots and garlic for 35 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile; you're gonna need a can of coconut milk, lite coconut milk would be fine as well.

Make the broth by adding to a 3 quart sauce pan; the coconut milk, water, some rounds of fresh ginger and a little salt.  Heat this over medium heat; until it's steaming hot, but not boiling.  Turn the heat down to low and cook until the carrots are done.

Roasting the carrots just intensifies their flavor, while the garlic mellows out a little.  When the carrots are done they will be fork tender, and slightly caramelized.

Add half of the carrots and one of the garlic cloves to a blender.

Remove the ginger from the broth, but don't discard it.  Add half of the broth...

...And one of the ginger rounds to the blender with the carrots.

When adding hot food to the blender, one should always remove the plug that is in the lid.

Put the lid on, and hold a towel over the hole.  Blitz until smooth.

Sometimes ginger is strong, and sometimes it's not so you'll have to give it a taste, if you like more ginger, add another round and blend some more.  Empty this to a bowl; and repeat with the remaining carrots, garlic, broth, and a ginger round. 

My soup was too thick, so I added a little more water and put this back on the stove just to heat.

So the soup tastes really great just like this.

But Cilantro Chili Oil isn't just pretty, it also brings a little heat and freshness to the party.  It's a really good idea to make the oil before you start the soup, so that the flavors will marry.

Your gonna need some cilantro, and some chopped Serrano chili peppers.  I started with one pepper, but found that the oil really needed two.

Add the cilantro, Serranos and the canola oil to a blender or a mini food processor.  Give it a blitz until it's smooth.  Allow the mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes, though an hour is better.

I have a really fine mesh strainer that I put the oil through.  If you don't have a strainer this fine, put a coffee filter in your strainer.

See what a bright and pretty green the oil is.  This will keep for a few days in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

The green color pops off of the orange.  You could stop here...

But why would you?  I get these fried onions at Ikea.  They're more delicate than French's.  If you didn't have these, shallots dredged in a little flour and then fried would do the trick.

Romantic, Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup!  I can't be held responsible for what will happen after eating this deliciousness.

ROASTED CARROT AND GINGER SOUP

Serves 4

1              lb.          Carrots, washed, no need to peel, and cut into about 1 inch pieces

2              cloves     Garlic, unpeeled and left whole

1              Tbsp.       Canola oil

                             Salt

¼             tsp.        Pepper

1 -13.5       oz. can    Coconut milk

3              cups       Water

1              inch        Fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced thinly into rounds

  1.        Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

  2.       Lay the carrots and the unpeeled garlic cloves in a single layer on a sheet pan; toss with canola oil, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.  Roast for 35 to 45 minutes; until the carrots have some caramelization, and are fork tender.

  3.       Meanwhile, in a 3 quart sauce pan combine the coconut milk, water, ginger and ¼ tsp. salt.  Cook over medium heat until the liquid is steaming, do not boil, and then turn the heat to low to gently cook just until the carrots are cooked.

  4.       When the carrots are through roasting, remove the garlic from its peel.

  5.   Remove the ginger from the broth; do not discard.  

  6.       Add half of the carrots to a blender along with half of the liquid, one of the garlic cloves, and one of the ginger rounds.  Remove the plug from the lid of the blender.  Place the lid on with a towel over the whole.  Pulse until the ingredients are smooth.  Give it a taste; if you like add more ginger.

  7.       Remove the soup to a bowl, and repeat with the other half of the remaining ingredients.

  8.       Return the soup to the pan.  If the soup is too thick, add a little more water until it’s the consistency you like.

  9.       Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

  10.   If the soup is hot enough you may serve it immediately, or heat the soup over medium heat.

Garnish the soup with Cilantro Chili Oil, and fried onions or shallots.

*Note, if you don't want to make the Cilantro Chili Oil, you may wish to add a pinch of Cayenne pepper on to the carrots in step 2.

Cilantro Chili Oil

2                            Serrano peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped

½             cup         Cilantro, roughly chopped

1/3           cup         Canola oil

  1.        Put all of the ingredients into the bowl of a mini food processor or blender; and pulse until smooth.

  2.       Allow the ingredients to sit for at least 30 minutes, longer is better.

  3.       Pour the blended ingredients into a bowl, either through a very fine mesh strainer, or put a coffee filter into a strainer.

*The oil will keep for a few days in an air tight container, in the refrigerator.

View this recipe here.

 

This recipe was shared at:  

 Buns in My Oven, Whats Cooking Wednesday.

SHRIMP AND SOBA NOODLE SALAD

Eeeeek!!!!!  A rat!  Seriously y’all.  I sit every morning with a cup of coffee and my littlest kitty, Sweet Pea.  She likes to sit behind me on the back of the chair, nuzzle my hair and look out the window while I read.  This morning she spotted something out the window…a rat!  Sweet Pea and I ran from window to window to watch where it was going.  What is a rat doing out in the day?  They usually only come out at night, when I don’t see them and I can choose to pretend that they don’t exist.  YUCK!

We live on a canal, so when you live on water you have rats.  It doesn’t matter if you live in a shack or a palace, the rats don’t discriminate.  One of the homes we used to live at the fence ran right to the water line; we would have dinner parties, and everyone would watch the rats run back and forth along the fence.  Needless to say an invitation to the Lindsay’s for dinner was a hot ticket!

Speaking of dinner...are ya hungry now?  This salad is a refreshing break from all the heavy and rich dishes of Thanksgiving.  It’s crisp, light, low in fat and oh so tasty!  I also made this salad with fried tofu, for a completely vegan meal.  I'll show you how to make that later.

Here’s what you do.

This is what is needed for the dressing.









Slice the Serrano quite thin. 

I only used half of the Serrano pepper. If you like it really spicy then add the whole thing.  If Serrano peppers are unavailable, then use a jalapeno.

Whisk the lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and canola oil together,

and then add the Serrano pepper.










I used my peeler to make strips of carrots, and then cut the carrot strips in half.






 Julienne is a fancy cooking term which means to cut into match sticks.

Now that you know what julienne means, do it to the cucumber and red bell pepper. 

Slice the radishes nice and thin.

Give some cashews a rough chop.

Grab a handful of bean sprouts.

Cook an 8 oz. box of Soba noodles according to the package directions.









When the noodles have cooked, drain them and rinse them with cold water.  

Toss the noodles with about 2 tablespoons of the dressing.

Season the peeled and deveined shrimp with salt and pepper.  

Sauté the shrimp in a tablespoon of canola oil over medium high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is opaque.

Put the lettuce around the perimeter of a bowl or platter.  Pile the noodles in the center of the lettuce.

Arrange the shrimp and the vegetables over the noodles.  Pour over a little of the dressing and sprinkle with chopped cashews and cilantro.

Serve the remaining dressing on the side.

Serves 4

3              Tbsp.     Fresh lime juice

6              Tbsp.     Rice vinegar

3              Tbsp.     Honey

¾             tsp.      Sesame oil

3              Tbsp.     Canola oil, divided

½                         Serrano pepper, thinly sliced (jalapeno can be substituted)

1-8           oz.         Box of soba noodles

1               lb.         Medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

                            Salt and pepper

6              cups       Romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces

1              cup         Carrots, julienned

1              cup         Cucumber, julienned

1              cup         Red bell pepper, julienned

1/3           cup         Radishes, thinly sliced

1              cup         Bean sprouts    

1/3           cup         Cashews, roughly chopped

¼             cup         Cilantro, roughly chopped

1.        Make the dressing.  In a medium bowl whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil and 2 Tbsp. of the canola oil.  Add the Serrano pepper to the dressing and set to the side.

2.       Cook the soba noodles according to the package directions.  When the noodles are cooked, drain and rinse them with cold water.

3.       Toss about 2 tablespoons of the dressing with the noodles and set them to the side.

4.       Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.

5.       Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until the shrimp is opaque.

6.       Spread the lettuce around the perimeter of a large bowl or platter.

7.       Pile the soba noodles in the center of the platter. 

8.       Arrange the vegetables and cooked shrimp in an attractive manner over the noodles.

9.       Pour a little of the dressing over the vegetables and shrimp, and sprinkle the cashews and cilantro.  

 Serve the remaining dressing on the side.

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