Cumin Coriander Carrot Soup with Dill Pesto

Cumin Coriander Carrot Soup with Dill Pesto

Posted on 07. Nov, 2007 by singleguychef in Recipes, Soup

Tis the season for soups and all things savory. Now, I am a fan of the soups that warrant hours to pull out the savory and rich flavors that stick to your bones and protect them from the cold that’s coming down in Michigan. However, we’re all busy, there are times when something under and hour is called for. Don’t worry, the next soup recipe I have is about 30 minutes. ;-)

This is a favorite of C’s, my sister and myself. Natural sweetness from the carrots gets enhanced by the natural earthy, woody flavors of cumin and coriander. The dill pesto, done with roasted peanuts instead of pine nuts, give the soup a great bright herbal kick. I often serve this soup with home made sour dough croutons.


Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the soup:

2.5 lbs carrots - peeled and chopped
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons coriander seeds
4 cups of chicken stock
1 heaping tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of ground coriander

For the dill pesto:
1 cup packed coarsely chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons (or to consistency) olive oil
2 cloves of garlic

Preparation

For the soup:

1. Heat a heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add carrots, onion and coriander seeds and sauté until onion is translucent and tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 35 minutes.
4. Add the ground cumin and coriander. Use an immersion blender and puree the soup, until the consistency is smooth. If you have to use a blender, make sure you don’t seal the lid completely. Mixing a hot liquid in a sealed blender is bad news!
5. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
6. Continue to simmer until carrot flavor comes through and color brightens back toward carrot orange (20-40min)

For the pesto:

While the soup is simmering, prepare the pesto.

1. In a small processor, pulse the peanuts until coarsely chopped.
2. Add the dill and garlic cloves. Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped.
3. Stream in the olive oil and pulse until desired consistency.
4. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

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9 Responses to “Cumin Coriander Carrot Soup with Dill Pesto”

  1. chef ledarney

    08. Nov, 2007

    Dill pesto, brilliant.

  2. Steamy Kitchen

    14. Nov, 2007

    wow, that would make a great soup for Thanksgiving. IF I WAS COOKING THANKSGIVING DINNER instead of, um….let’s say….BOSTON $*&!#@%)&% MARKET!

  3. WildKid

    27. Nov, 2007

    Really good and really interesting post. I expect (and other readers maybe :)) new useful posts from you!
    Good luck and successes in blogging!

  4. Veronica

    20. Dec, 2007

    Hi S! Great meeting you and yours at tonight’s D party. Just checking out your blog - of course, it’s soup!

    Anyway, I write an animal/dog blog; but the blog I was telling you about is http://www.alucidspoonful.blogspot.com

    I’ll be checking in.

    Saludos,

    -V.

  5. John

    08. Jan, 2008

    Wow. I have to agree with Chef Ledarney. The addition of a dill pesto is brilliant. I’ve tried carrot soup recipes that have been good, before, but I’m itching to try this one. The coriander and the peanuts has really got me intrigued.

  6. Tessa K

    04. Mar, 2008

    I’m sad….where did this blog go? I’m going to give this soup a try, anyway, (I heart cumin and I heart pesto–how could the combo be bad?) but I’m hoping you’ll come back someday with more recipes!

  7. singleguychef

    04. Mar, 2008

    Hi Tessa! I’ll be back, I swear. I’ve just in transition right now and working 80+ hours a week. Do let me know how the soup turns out for you.

    Cheers-

    singleGuyChef

  8. Kristi

    22. Mar, 2008

    your cooking skills were once again the subj of conversation at the dog park… a legacy has to start somewhere! so it’s my week to cook up and supply 3 other households with a soup that satisfies. sort of a family co-op. i’m in on this one!

    astro the wonder shepherd sends his regards

  9. P. Arnold

    09. Jun, 2008

    Just a small correction. Aleppo pepper comes from the Syrian city of Aleppo. If the packaging says it’s from Turkey, it isn’t Aleppo pepper.
    Cheers,
    Peter

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