Winter Soup with Honey Roasted Baby Carrots

Soups are part of the food culture in Colombia!

Colombia has some of the most traditional and delicious soups. They are hearty like a “Sancocho” or unique like an “Ajiaco”.

Soups in my home were not only comfort food to ward off the winter chill of the mountains, but for my mother they were also useful against many ailments. Sitting at my desk in my home in Perth and writing this recipe I am laughing at the goofy memories I have of her, but I also can see I am my mother’s daughter, I tell my daughter the same stories.

In her Kitchen I found myself using fresh seasonal vegetables to create the ideal soup that is filling and highly nutritional, as many Alzheimer’s patients stop eating.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 medium size sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups of roughly chopped pumpkin
• 1 leek, white section only, coarsely chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup of water if needed
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons roasted sun flowers seeds
• 2 tablespoons roasted pepitas, roasted
• 2 tablespoons of black sesame seeds, roasted
• 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, roasted

Honey Roasted Carrots

• 12 baby carrots, trimmed and halved lengthways
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste

Method

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add the onion and leek and cook until the onions are softened.
• Add the ginger, cumin, paprika, coriander, curry and cook stirring for 40 seconds or until aromatic.
• Add the sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and carrots to the sauce pan and then the stock. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat.

• Use a stick blender to carefully blend until smooth.
• If the soup is too thick add a cup of water or vegetable stock and keep blending until smooth.
• Put the soup to cook for another 5 minutes then add the coconut milk and stir well until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add salt to taste.

To make the honey roasted carrots

• Preheat the oven 200C.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Place the carrots in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, honey and salt.
• Put them on the baking tray.
• Cook them cut-side down in the oven for five to ten minutes or until they are golden brown.
• Divide the soup among the serving bowls. Drizzle with coconut milk or yoghurt.
• Top with the honey roasted carrots and sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pepitas.

• Serve on the side ready made flaky Parathas or warm Pita bread.

Tips

• I hope you will try this soup. It is delicious and looks beautiful.
• It is the ideal meal. It is filling and full of flavour.