Sidonie Maroon

If I wasn’t chopping carrots, listening to rain on the roof, and cooking dinner then — I don’t know what. 

Cooking grounds me, instead of worrying about issues out of my control. When I’m worked up over politics, the pandemic or some personal issue and can’t settle I put dishes away, set the table, lay out ingredients or chop. 

There’s a music to soup making that’s soothing to the nerves. I know the sequence — I’ve made 10,000 soups and know this song like a childhood hymn. “Carrot Soup on a Rainy Evening” imagine it played to Miles Davis’s “Kinda Blue.” 

The oven’s preheating while I chop an onion and spread it on the baking sheet. My eyes are tearing up, so I turn on the tap and splash my face with cold water. I mince garlic and ginger and add it to the onions. The carrots are next; I top and tail them, cut them into thirds, cut the thirds into sticks, pile them together and cut them crosswise into wedges. It all has an ordinary rhythm — cooking in my kitchen, with the wet, unwelcoming world outside. 

I measure out the spices for the garam masala — coriander seeds, cumin, allspice, cardamom, bay leaves and red chili flakes. I love getting down the spice bottles, measuring, grinding whole spices to a powder and filling the room with heady scents. It’s my magic and we all need some. 

I rub the vegetables with olive oil, salt and spices and put them into roast. Next, frying up the topping of coconut flakes, dates, cashews and pumpkin seeds. 

Carrot soup is one of my standards. I know a bowl of creamy carrot soup will make my husband happy, and I enjoy his pleasure when the first spoonful hits his mouth. With a bag of local carrots, maybe even the famed Nash’s winter carrots, I dream up a carrot soup. The carrot soup possibilities are diverse, but there are classic techniques that always apply.

Roots are what I return to when the world goes crazy. When I’m grounded, I can keep calm and carrot on. 

FAVORITE CARROT SOUP COMBINATIONS

Carrot and coconut milk with citrus and Indian spices

Carrot with preserved lemon, black mustard seed, and cumin 

Carrot with anise and orange 

Carrot, leek and fresh thyme 

Carrot, ginger and turmeric

CLASSIC TECHNIQUES FOR VEGETABLE BISQUES

Create a flavor background with onions, roast or caramelize them.

Bring in garlic, fresh ginger, fresh turmeric, galangal root. 

Sauté or roast with a rich fat such as ghee, butter, coconut oil or olive oil.

Use something creamy like cream or coconut milk.

Remember to add the four directions of flavor — heat, sour, sweet and salty.

Best soups have four layers. 1. Deep roasted or caramelized layer with a hint of bitter and lots of sweetness. 2. Creamy layer with fat and the flavor of the vegetables. 3. Spices, a touch of heat and salt. 4. Add an acid like lemon, lime or vinegar. 

Add a surprise to top the soup — like a swirl of cream, crunchy nuts, herbs or croutons.    

Roasted Carrot Bisque with Coconut and Citrus 

Makes 1 quart

ROASTING INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil  

1 medium onion, chopped

1-inch nub: fresh ginger, unpeeled, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 medium carrots, unpeeled, chopped

1 tablespoon garam masala, recipe below

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

FINISHING INGREDIENTS

14-ounce can full fat coconut milk 

Juice and zest of one medium lemon

Juice and zest of one medium orange

FRIED TOPPING INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons avocado oil 

⅓ cup unsweetened wide coconut flakes

¼ cup dates 

¼ cup raw cashews

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

sprinkle of flaked sea salt

1 teaspoon coconut sugar  

DIRECTIONS

Grind spices together for garam masala. Preheat the oven to 425 F line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss all the roasting ingredients together with the oil, salt and spices. Roast for 25 minutes. Stir and roast for another 20 minutes. In a high-powered blender, puree the roasted ingredients with coconut milk and citrus until smooth. Taste and correct as needed. 

While the carrots roast make the fried topping. Using a medium high heat, warm the oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add the toppings and fry. Stir and watch closely until they are toasty, about 4 minutes. Pulse everything together in a food processor until medium fine. Add topping on individual bowls.

GARAM MASALA

Grind together and store in a jar to use as needed

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon allspice berries

1 teaspoon green cardamom pods with hulls removed

2 dried bay leaves

1 teaspoon red pepper powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

(Sidonie Maroon, abluedotkitchen.com, is culinary educator for The Food Co-op. Kitchen to Kitchen is sponsored by The Food Co-op.)