Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup

This Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup is made with small, sweet Chantenay carrots and lots of fresh ginger, garlic and yogurt, a warming bowl of goodness.

My older sister Tanya was a huge fan of cooked carrots, often cooking up a pot of sliced ones to serve as a side dish or frankly just to eat the whole lot as a meal. I must admit that I also cooked them as a side dish but way, way more rarely. Carrots had to be just about the last item in the vegetable drawer for me to choose them as a cooked side dish.

My younger daughter was even less of a fan than I was. When I would serve cooked carrots, I’d give her a few raw carrot sticks as her side. Hey, she was eating vegetables and since they weren't my favorite either, I completely understood. 

But soup? Soup changes everything. Sweet carrots roasted then pureed in delicious savory soup is perfect for rainy cold days, especially with plenty of warming fresh ginger. 

Chantenay carrots are a British-grown heirloom varietal known for their diminutive size and extraordinary sweetness. Originally cultivated in the Chantenay region of Northern France as far back as the 1800s - hence the name - they fell out of favor there in the 1960s when food production became increasingly mechanized. 

They are enjoying a resurgence of popularity in the UK now though. Whenever I see a bag in my local grocery store, I cannot resist buying some. They are so sweet and so cute! 

Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup

If you can’t find Chantenay carrots, substitute seasonal local carrots from wherever you live. If the internet research can be believed, smaller young carrots are sweeter than larger older ones. This recipe is adapted from one on The Mediterranean Dish. 

Ingredients  

Extra virgin olive oil

1 lb or 450g Chantenay carrots, scrubbed

Fine sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large garlic cloves

2 in or 4 cm knob fresh ginger

4 cups or 960ml vegetable or chicken stock, divided

1/4 cup or 61g Greek yogurt, plus extra drizzled for serving, optional

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Method

Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and line a baking pan with a silicone liner or baking parchment for easy clean up. 

Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. 

Trim the roots ends off of the little carrots. 

Pile them in your lined baking pan and drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle on a few good pinches of salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper. 

Use your clean hands to toss the carrots around to distribute the salt and pepper and coat them with the oil. Spread them out in a single layer.

Roast the carrots for 20 minutes. 

Stir them around and roast for another 10-12 minutes or until they are fork tender and slightly caramelized. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

When the carrots are cool enough to handle, place them in a blender along with the garlic, ginger and some of the broth. 

Puree until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the carrot puree to a heavy cooking pot.

Add the remaining stock to the blender and give it a swish so you don't leave any pureed carrots behind. Pour that into the pot. Place the pot on medium heat and bring it slowly to a low boil. 

Stir occasionally and cook for about 30 minutes or until it’s reduced slightly and the garlic odor has tempered.

Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in the yogurt and ground cumin. 

Cook till it's heated through then remove from the stove.

Transfer to serving bowls and add a few drizzles of yogurt to garnish, if desired. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing dishes cooked with root vegetables. Many thanks to our host Mayuri of Mayuri’s Jikoni. Check out the links below. 

• Arbi Ka Paratha from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Beetroot Paneer Rice with Leftover Rice from Cook With Renu
• Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Ginger Almond & Poppy Seed Vadi from Sneha's Recipe
• Maple Miso Root Vegetable Medley from A Messy Kitchen
• Parsnip and Leek Soup with Cumin and Mustard Seeds from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Roasted Beet Galette from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Roasties from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie from Making Miracles

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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