BELLA'S CARROT, ORANGE, AND FENNEL SOUP

Bella's Carrot, Orange, and Fennel Soup image

Here's a recipe where a little culinary ad-libbing met the needs of a caregiver. My husband, Gregg, was feeling a little sick but wanted to eat, but there really wasn't anything in the house. I saw some fennel and thought, "That's good for the belly." Then I found some carrots. But what to do with these limited ingredients? For years I'd made a carrot ginger soup recipe for many of my patients. Would carrot fennel soup work? I went to the fruit compartment for my trusty lemons, but only found an orange. It all went into the pot, and a little while later I put it in front of Gregg. He took one taste and started raving. A few weeks and tweaks later, I found that adding cumin, cinnamon, and allspice really brought this soup home. I named this recipe after Bella because she's quite possibly the only dog on the planet who prefers carrots to bacon; for every four carrots that go into making this soup, one goes into Bella's mouth. Otherwise she howls. (Sigh.)

Yield serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 15

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped fennel
Sea salt
3 pounds carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of red pepper flakes
8 cups Magic Mineral Broth (page 54)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
Cashew Cream (page 180), for garnish

Steps:

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion, fennel, and a pinch of salt and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots, orange zest, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and sauté until well combined. Pour in 1/2 cup of the broth and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
Add the remaining 7 1/2 cups broth and another 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
In a blender, puree the soup in batches until very smooth, each time adding the cooking liquid first and then the carrot mixture. If need be, add additional liquid to reach the desired thickness.
Return the soup to the pot over low heat, stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt, and gently reheat slowly. Do a FASS check. Does it need a squeeze of lemon, a pinch or two of salt, or a drizzle of maple syrup?
Serve garnished with a drizzle of the Cashew Cream.
With a little rearranging, you can create a carrot, coconut, and curry soup. Omit the chopped fennel, red pepper flakes, and allspice and add 1 teaspoon of curry powder with the cinnamon and cumin. At the end of the cooking process, stir in 1 cup of coconut milk before blending, then do a FASS check; you'll probably want to add an extra pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime.
Put liquid ingredients in the blender first, and then add the solids to blend more efficiently. The pressure builds up when blending hot liquids and can blow the lid right off the blender chamber, so always place a dishtowel over the blender lid before you hit the power button to prevent spin art on your kitchen wall (and possibly burns).
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
(per serving)
Calories: 215
Total Fat: 5,5g (0.8g saturated, 3.4g monounsaturated)
Carbohydrates: 40g
Protein: 4g
Fiber: 10g
Sodium: 405mg