Spiced Carrot Soup
Today we visit “The Queen’s Blessing“, an inn near the palace of Caemlyn in the Westlands to enjoy a hot bowl of spiced carrot soup. It’s very cold outside as we edge toward winter and the famously beautiful city is now hunkering down against the beginnings of snow drifts. Families and shopkeepers have switched out to their thick-woven winter curtains and the scent of wood-smoke is heavy in the air. Most people along the roads are wearing woolen cloaks with the hoods pulled up. We stomp our boots a few times on the stone step at the inn and wave to Basel Gill, the innkeeper, who has a table near the large fireplace in the common room reserved for our dinner.
Master Gill continues chatting during most of the dinner – he prides himself on telling us how carrot soup is a favorite of the Queen, showing off his red and white table linens (the Queen’s colors), and speaks at length about how good the carrot harvest is this year for the farmers. Sides include bread, dried apricots, soft cheese, and walnuts. After dinner we can stop by the small library upstairs for some quiet reading time, then we will sleep well in the inn’s best guest rooms before heading out tomorrow toward more delicious food.
This versatile recipe can use either fresh carrots or leftover plain cooked carrots (for example if you prefer to boil them).
(in the Wheel of Time tv show this inn is in the city of Tar Valon and called The Light’s Blessing – same friendly Basel Gill!)
Spiced Carrot Soup
Equipment
- Blender or immersion blender
- 5+ quart soup pot
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ lbs fresh carrots OR 3 cups leftover cooked carrots
- 1 Tbsp oil (for roasting carrots)
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- Plain yogurt or sour cream for garnish (skip for vegan/dairy-free)
Instructions
- If using fresh carrots, heat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash carrots and slice into large pieces, 3-4 inches, then slice in half lengthwise (so the profile is a half-moon). Toss with a bit of oil and salt then roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until soft. Let cool.
- In a food processor or blender, purée broth and cooled carrots until smooth.
- Transfer to a large pot, stir in salt and spices, and cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkle of ground pepper.
