Carrot and Leek Soup with Sour Cream and Cumin

This is one of those left over posts from when Granmom and PaPaw were here in November. Granmom brought this recipe, along with most of the ingredients to make it, with her from the local paper in Corvallis. She and Abigail made the soup together...and it was really, really good.

The pictures come to you courtesy of Abigail....

Let's get started.




The next afternoon...









We had ours with cheese toast. It really was wonderful. If my memory serves me, we had it two days in a row...yummy!

2T olive oil
2lbs good quality carrots (make sure they’re sweet and flavorful)
2 large leeks, white and pale portions only, chopped
1T chopped fresh garlic
2-3t ground cumin
1t ground coriander
1t dried crushed red pepper flakes
6c chicken or vegetable broth
1c sour cream
1-3t honey, if necessary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2T fresh lime juice
2t grated lime zest
2T minced fresh cilantro

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots and leeks and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the leeks are softened but not browned. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for about 1 to 2 more minutes. Stir in the cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes, and then pour in the broth. Bring the mix to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the carrots are very tender, about 40 to 40 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly. Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor or blender (you’ll have to work in batches if you don’t have a hand blender). Let the soup cool and then whisk in the sour cream, 2 teaspoons of the honey, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or up to 24.
When ready to serve, stir in the lime juice and lime zest. Adjust seasonings, adding additional salt and pepper if desired, then gently reheat and garnish with cilantro.

(This recipe came from the local paper in Corvallis, Oregon by Jan Roberts-Dominguez. Jan is a Corvallis, Oregon food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her through the Gazette-Times at PO Box 368 Corvallis, Oregon 97339, by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com or find more recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com )