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.
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 Ras El 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.