Sherried Carrot Soup
Recipe provided by Valeria
This is a quite funny and interesting read if you're into medieval fairy tales :-) The recipes themselves are quite good. These are some of my favourites, easy to prepare and very, very tasty! I have added my own observations and ideas in parentheses throughout the texts.
(No medieval original recipe provided, but all the ingredients would be there. This is a quite spicy soup with a strong flavour)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 5–6 medium carrots, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 3 cups chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian version, it tastes equally good)
- 1/2 cup double cream (or creme fraiche or greek – not greek style – yoghurt)
- 1/4 cup dry sherry (or experiment with other sweet liqueurs, I have used Mavrodaphne, a Greek dessert wine, with great success)
The following spices are either as listed or to taste:
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- dash of white pepper
- chopped parsley, for garnish
Saute the onion in the butter until it's soft but not browned. Add the carrots, spices and broth. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 20 mins or until carrots are tender. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth, or whirl in the blender, one half at a time. Return mixture to cooking pan and add the cream. Reheat to serving temperature, being careful not to boil. Add sherry and seasonings again to suit your taste. Serve hot. (I have also boiled the carrots in the sherry from the beginning. This gives a stronger flavour – or it may just be that I added too much sherry!)