First off, I want to totally take back what I said yesterday about my bread being a failed experience. I admit, it came out NOTHING like it was supposed to, but still, this is one of the best breads I have ever eaten. I am almost obsessed with the thing. I have a lot of control over what I choose to eat, and trust me, many a treat in this household goes almost unnoticed by me in the cupboard. I have had Hershey’s kisses in front of my nose for days at the office and I didn’t even have one. In fact, they didn’t even bother me, apart from the fact that I thought they were so pretty, all shiny and pink that they were…

But this bread, I just can’t resist it. It’s like calling me. I think that I will even skip my usual breakfast cereal tomorrow morning and bring a few slices of bread at work to make myself some toasts, on which I will spread my usual almond butter and top this with slices of banana. Just writing about it makes my mouth water. That bread is so incredibly dense, yet so so full of flavor. The crust is marvelously crunchy and when you toast it, it sort of cracks and melts at the same time and the grains just explode between your teeth. I truly hope I succeed at missing this recipe again.

But enough about the bread, this post is supposed to be about a carrot soup. I got the inspiration for that one reading Suzie’s blog, right after I found her post on the bread I just mentioned. Looks like she will be a great source of inspiration for me. Her recipe, however, called for sesame oil, and that is not the taste I wanted to go for. I had something more cinnamonny / nutmeggy in mind, so I scavenged the Net for some inspiration, grabbed bits of this, pieces of that, and came up with a recipe.

While not exactly what I had in mind, it was very good. The tanginess of the buttermilk does a lot for that soup, but if you don’t care for it, you could always replace it with sour cream, or plain milk, although that would make it a little bit more runny. Also, I think that when I make this again, I will actually add cinnamon or clove to it, or maybe even allspice. Something to bring it just a little closer to that “savory pumpkin pie feeling”. Hey, come to think of it, maybe some squash mixed into this would be really good. And blue cheese instead of goat would certainly give it a little more kick.

All in all, a very good soup. I’m pretty happy with it. Thanks to my daughter for making it for me and having it almost ready by the time I came back from work. And sorry for yelling… you did an awesome job!

Ingredients
(serves 3-4)

  • ­      1 tbsp olive oil
  • ­      1 celery stalk, diced
  • ­      1 onion, diced
  • ­      1 potato, diced
  • ­      750g carrots, diced
  • ­      2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ­      1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • ­      2 tbsp dried parsley
  • ­      1 bay leaf
  • ­      Salt and pepper to taste
  • ­      4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • ­      1 cup buttermilk

Garnish

  • ­      Goat cheese, crumbled
  • ­      Roasted Pecans, chopped
  • ­      Flat parsley, chopped
  • ­      Sprinkle freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

  • ­ In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Throw in celery, onion and potato and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often;
  • ­Add carrots, garlic, ginger, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the carrots start to colour lightly;
  • ­Add stock, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender;
  • ­Purée the soup, using hand held mixer or food processor (don’t forget to remove the bay leaf!);
  • ­ Stir in 1 cup of milk, reheat lightly if necessary;
  • ­Garnish with goat cheese crumbles, toasted pecans and fresh parsley. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.