Coconut Carrot Soup

Today, 70º and partly sunny. Tomorrow, 40º and rainy…

“In the spring, I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.”

In the above quote Mark Twain is speaking of New England, and although I know Philadelphia isn’t quite there, I think his hyperbole captures this spring well. We started the season out with a snowstorm and quite a bit of cold weather, and now, over the last ten blissful days, warm weather finally arrived and with it crocuses and daffodils. Alas, tomorrow it’s a return to the 40s and lots of rain.

But not all is a loss for the next couple of days. If you ever have the chance to read Twain’s A Toast to the Oldest Inhabitant: The Weather of New England, take note of how the speech ends. The author, who had been sarcastic and critical of the ever-changing weather earlier on, concludes that, when speaking of an ice storm, “You are the most enchanting weather in the world!” I’m no fan of cold weather in the spring, especially not ice storms, but fortunately we’re just getting cold weather and rain tomorrow!

I think the point Twain is trying to convey is that there is so much beauty to be found in the changing fickle seasons. Maybe life is a little bit like this, too; there is beauty in all of life’s experiences. Today’s recipe is a Coconut Carrot Soup that’s lightly curried, creamy, and mellow. It’s a delicious, seasonal soup for those cool, rainy, in-between spring days when you need to be warmed up, but are ready to put off the flavors of winter. If you’re reading this, I encourage you to take a moment to enjoy the changing season, whether it’s warm sunshine, or the beautiful patterns the raindrops make on your kitchen window. They’re all a part of life and a part of who we are and are to become.

Coconut Carrot Soup

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes                   Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 C peeled and diced carrots
• 2 C diced sweet yellow onion
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dry turmeric
• 1 tsp dry paprika
• 1 tsp dry ginger
• 4 C vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tsp lemongrass paste
• 1 15 oz can coconut milk

Directions

1. Dice the carrots and onions, and sauté them in the olive oil in a medium-sized soup pot for 5 minutes.

2. Add your spices to the pot including turmeric, paprika, and ginger, and sauté them for 1 minute, allowing them to become aromatic.

3. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth to the pot, turn the burner up to high heat, bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and easily crushed by a fork.

4. Remove the soup from the heat, and add 1 tsp of lemongrass paste to the pot. This can be found in tubes in the produce section of most grocery stores. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree until the soup is smooth.

5. Lastly, stir in 1 can of coconut milk. Once the coconut milk has been added to the soup be sure NOT to simmer or boil it, as this can cause curdling. For dramatic effect you can set aside some of your coconut milk for drizzling over the soup!