Roasted Carrot Soup with Ras El Hanout
Sweet roasted carrots and warm ginger are the shining stars in this easy to prepare soup. If you're looking for a flavorful soup that is sure to warm you up when the weather outside is in the single digits this is sure to do the trick!
Ras El Hanout is a Moroccan spice blend. Ras el Hanout translates to “top of the shop,” and for Moroccan spices merchants (called souks in Morocco) it is a badge of honor to have the region’s most sought after version of this blend. If you’re not familiar with Ras el Hanout it might be easier to describe it as a bit like a curry but with a floral aroma, a spicy kick (but not necessarily hot) and subtle layers of complex flavors.
Our hand blended Ras El Hanout salt free seasoning blend brings it all together with the incredible flavors of smoked sweet paprika, brown mustard, black pepper, cumin, grains of paradise, turmeric, coriander, long pepper, nigella, caraway, anise, cardamom, mace, ginger, korintje, lavender, cubeb, ajwain and rose petals.
The flavor profile of this soup is warm, spicy and savory but not too hot.
We used butter in our recipe for a little creaminess, but you can substitute olive oil for the butter and vegetable stock for the chicken stock to make this a vegetarian dish.
- 1 Lb carrots, washed and peeled
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small to medium onion, diced
- 1 rib of celery, diced
- 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/2 green, tart apple such as a Granny Smith
- 2 teaspoons Ras El Hanout
- 2 cups home made chicken stock or store bought low fat/salt chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and roast them for about 30-45 minutes until fork tender and slightly browned. Turn them once after 15 minutes.
- Remove carrots from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter to medium high heat and add onions and celery. Cook until vegetables are softened.
- Add apples and ginger, cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Add RasEl Hanout and stir until everything is coated.
- Add chicken stock and water.
- Coarsely chop carrots and add them to the mixture.
- Bring mixture to a boil for 2-3 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Let the soup cook for about 30-45 minutes, adding water if needed.
- When everything is cooked through and tender, remove soup from heat and allow to cool.
- Carefully ladle soup into a blender filling it half way. Replace lid and cover the top with a towel to prevent any warm soup from splashing out.
- Blend until soup is smooth. Repeat by adding remaining soup to the blender.
- Return all the soup to the pot and reheat adding a little water if soup seems too thick.
- Serve immediately and garnish with grated ginger and chives.
