Carrot Curry Soup

A couple of months ago, I had a gorgeous carrot soup at The Finnish Bistro in St. Anthony Park. It was made with more cream than should be legal (I asked) so I began my search for an equally delicious but slightly less coronary inducing version.

I found it in a little book called 200 Veggie Feasts. I tweaked it by omitting the potato and adding more broth than it calls for because the original version is really, really thick. It's lighter that way and better suited for a summer dinner. It has a nice kick, which can also be tweaked to your liking.

Curried Carrot and Lentil Soup

Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 lbs. carrots, chopped

1 potato, chopped

1 Tbsp, medium curry paste

3/4 cup red lentils, washed

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 Tbsp fresh or frozen cilantro, chopped or minced

salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan, add onion and garlic, cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add carrots, potato, and curry paste and mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are soft. 

Transfer to food processor or use an immersion blender to process until very smooth. Return to pan and add as much broth as needed to bring to desired consistency.