Creamy Carrot Soup with Orange & Saffron

saffron-orange-carrot-soup

This soul-warming soup gets its lovely orange hue from the puree of sliced carrots as well as a pinch of saffron threads; and while we are on the subject of ‘orange’, the soup gets its lovely orange taste from a squeeze of fresh orange juice.  To enrich the warm carrot soup , I like to stir in creamy ricotta cheese before serving each bowl with a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.  A nice sub for ricotta cheese would be whole milk Greek yogurt, creme fraiche, or even some decadent mascarpone cheese.

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Creamy Carrot Soup with Orange & Saffron

  • Prep time:
  • Cook time:
  • Total time:
  • Yield: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Recipe type: Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 lb. carrots, cut into rounds
  • salt and pepper
  • Pinch of saffron threads
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 4 cups organic, low-sodium chicken stock
  • Juice of 1 large orange OR 4 small tangerines
  • 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • fresh thyme, for serving

Directions:

  1. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt the butter along with the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onions, garlic and carrots; season with ½ teaspoon of salt and a big grinding of black pepper. Saute over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
  2. Add in the wine and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add in the stock and saffron threads, then reduce the pot to a simmer. Cook the carrots for approximately 15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Puree the soup either with an immersion blender or in a blender. Stir in the orange juice and the ricotta cheese off of the heat. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve with fresh thyme, if desired.

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