Certainly sounds odd doesn't it? Last year I tried making a carrot soup without a recipe and it was ugh, ugh, ugh! So this week I dug out my soup books and looked for something to guide a carrot or three into my bowl. I wasn't sure how this would taste but but I gave it a try anyway. The recipe was inspired by "New England Carrot, Apricot and Sesame Soup" in the New Covent Garden Book of Soups: New, Old and Odd Recipes, a book I have had in my collection for over ten years. The original recipe calls for the soup to be served chilled, but with the temperatures in San Francisco set to hit a record low, you've got to be kidding me? For me it works just as well warm. In fact. it works better, I have never been a fan of cold soup. "Ot-Ot" soup is mysterious and delicious, exotic and unusual, sharp and soothing, sweet and sour, easy to make. Does it sound like your thing..?
Ingredients (serves six)
8oz dried pluots*
1 onion, diced
1 bay leaf*
3 fat carrots, thinly sliced*
1 cinnamon stick
2 pints water
1 pint light chicken stock
6 tablespoons greek yoghurt
Handful of Sesame Seeds
Method
-Soak the pluots overnight in 2 pints of water
-Drain the pluots reserving 1 pint of the soaking water
-Add the pluots, onion, bay leaf, cinnamon, stock, 1 pt soaking water, carrots, salt and pepper to a lidded saucepan.
-Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 50 minutes until soft
-Toast sesame seeds until golden in a hot pan. Cool
-Remove the cinnamon stick from the soup and blend with a handblender
-Check seasoning
-Serve piping hot topped with a spoonful of greek yoghurt and toasted sesame seeds.
*Pluots are a cross between an apricot and a plum. You could use dried apricots instead. I bought mine from Hamada Farms at the San Francisco Farmers Market. $5 for 10oz
*I actually used something in my pantry that *looked* like a bay leaf but I am not sure that it actually was. It was a gift from a mad person I know, maybe she can put me straight. It was probably homegrown or foraged.
Carrots from Heirloom Organics $2
PS (Shhh.... don't tell anyone I just ate a bowl of this soup for breakfast, they'll all start thinking I am as odd as the recipe)
Sam I have never heard of 'pluots' I wonder if we get them in UK. It's simplicity sounds right up my street. I do have dried apricots so could use those as you suggest. Granny has been asking for soup I wonder if she would like it!!
ReplyDeleteYes, that was a bay leaf. :D
ReplyDeleteMore specifically, a Greek bay laurel leaf from the potted tree on my patio.
The soup sounds fantastic, and I think having some for breakfast is brilliant.
I made chicken stock yesterday and I think I'll try this using fresh apricots and plums.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting combination of flavors -- and a beautiful color!
ReplyDeleteOh, that sounds really tasty. I'm with you, I don't like cold soups and would eat it hot instead.
ReplyDeleteIt looks and sounds great, but I don't think we can get pluots here as I believe they are technically GM foods bred and licenced in the US so the EU probably wouldn't pay the licence fees and we'd probably have issues with the GM aspect. Still looks and sounds great, though.
ReplyDeleteIf you could get them I am not sure they would be local or indegenous
ReplyDeletethanks cookieC - I am so honoured to be able to eat your wares
barbara -i would love to know the result of using fresh fruit
christianne - the pluots were a bwautiful shade of dark pinky red
danielle - I have seen people heat up gazpacho in the microwave. I swear that wasnt me though.
trig - i would be surprised if they were GMO since they were purchased from the farmers market which is controlled and does not allow that kind of thing. Pluots, simply a cross between an apricot and a plum, can be created by traditional methods of hybridisation - cross pollination for example which is not the same thing as GM.
While your soup sounds fantastic, I want to recommend the carrot soup that Scott Howard (the chef and the restaurant) serve. The recipe is printed on the back of the receipt. It calls for carrots reduced in carrot juice until juice is evaporated, then add carrot juice to carrots and blend! Add cream and curry spice. It rocks my world and I'm sure it would rock yours too!
ReplyDeletethank you sarah - scott howard is on my current 'must do' list. i wonder if the soup is on the DAT menu?
ReplyDeletehmmm, must check.....
Pluots! in soup! Fabulous!
ReplyDeletegosh! so can you describe the taste? I can't imagine this one. Was it sweet?
ReplyDeletesweet and sour and exotic (from the cinnamon)is how i tried to describe it
ReplyDeletethe sourness may depend on the sharpness of your fruit, mine are fairly acid
soup for breakfast is one of my very favorite things! and this one looks quite interesting so i may be eating it some morning fairly soon!
ReplyDeleteLooks tasty. Though I've seen them in the stores, I've never bought a pluot. Pluot. Plu-ot. Pluuuuuot. Such a funny name. (But the alternatives sound much worse!)
ReplyDeleteYour boldness, it frightens me.
ReplyDelete- Chubbypanda
I have never been a cold soup fan either but this sounds like a fascinating flavor combination. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting, Covent Garden Soups are brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Sam
Now I KNOW what a Plut is finally!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in France aged 13, they gave me a Prunion, which I think is the French translation of a pluot. But I wasn't sure and have never found out, until now!!
Thank you Sam!
Sally
I just a bowl of rice soup for breakfast. And a piece of dried squid.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like it would be good as a cold soup, but I bet it would also be good made warm for this cold weekend we have coming up. We're big fans of soup in my house, and I can't wait to give yours a try in my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThat looks too bright and light for us stuffy New Englanders ;)
ReplyDeletesoup is good any time of the day or night!
ReplyDeleteSoup's up on my blog. It was tarted than I expected but really enjoyed it. The colour was more orange than yours.
ReplyDeleteHow very interesting! Carrots, plums and bay leaves are also united in tsimes,
ReplyDeleteand coincidentally the expression "ot-ot" in Yiddish means "Yes, exactly like that!"
It is so wonderful to be connected and reading Becks&Posh again. ot-ot!
Your soups recipes are just yummy!
ReplyDelete