In December, I mentioned in my Navel Orange Pancakes post, that I always try to use seasonal fruits as creatively as possible for a variety of purposes. I thought that by April Navels would be gone but because of the dry and warm winter we had here in California this year, they are still available. So today, I am going to be using Navel oranges once again, and this time the oranges will be used to make a super aromatic and healthy soup.
When I first made this, I was experimenting with oranges and I felt the acidity of the oranges might compliment the carrots. I was right! The oranges bring out a nice tanginess to the soup.
This soup, with slight modifications, can be used as a sauce for meats, fish, or any type of protein (scroll to the bottom for tips). I used it as an addition to a 2” thick golden seared pork chops. This particular thickness of just one piece of meat can be considered by most Poles as overboard and decadent, but in reality, it is all about the quality of flavor and being able to maintain the right level of moistness inside the meat.
Orange-Carrot Soup (or Sauce)
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. of carrots (preferably young and organic)
- 2 medium oranges
- 1 cup coconut or other plant-based milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- few sprigs of fresh tarragon or cilantro
- Wash carrots and remove all the dark spots (if the carrots are organic peeling them isn’t necessary).
- Place the carrots in a pot. Pour over with water (about 1” above the vegetable), cover the pot, bring it to a boil, and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Chop carrots with a knife and then blend using a manual blender in the water in which they were boiled.
- Wash oranges with a brush and cut them in half.
- Squeeze the juice from each half, including the pulp to the pot with blended carrots.
- Add almond/soy milk to the carrot-orange mixture and blend all the ingredients until velvety and semi-liquid.
- Place squeezed orange skins into a pot with the orange-carrot blend and cook for about 20 minutes.
- Discard orange peel remains from the pot.
- Blend all the ingredients again (after discarding orange skins).
- Season sauce to desired taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve with tarragon or fresh coriander (of course, without the orange skins).
If you want to use this soup as a sauce I recommend adding a spoon of butter and extra reduction on low heat until the texture gets thick and sticky. If it’s too thick, you can modify the recipe by adding more almond milk. If you don’t have soy or almond milk or if you like heavier coking, you can always use a little heavy cream or half & half.
Bon Appétit.
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