Roasted Carrot and Red Pepper Soup

I made a soup recently that started with making “aromatics”. Besides falling in love with using that word, the concept of how it worked was also appealing and I was anxious to try another recipe idea using this method of “aromatics”. The original soup dish was just so-so, a Thai soup dish that was good, but not the quality of flavor that I deem as “sharable”. But this second one was! 😛

Here is a simple definition of Aromatics - Aromatics are herbs, spices and vegetables (and sometimes meat) that are cooked in oil as a base for the flavor of a dish. Cooking them in oil helps to release their flavors and aromas, creating a deep flavor foundation for soups, stews, sauces, meat fillings and more.

It’s a funny concept to cook something and then throw it away, but when you realize the flavor that it can add to a dish, you will also fall in love with this idea!

INGREDIENTS -

7 medium to large fresh carrots
2 cups organic chicken or vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk
8 oz roasted red pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

AROMATICS -

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, sliced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the carrots, cut into 2-3” chunks, and place them onto a roasting pan. Coat the carrots with a tablespoon of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place the carrots in oven and roast for approximately 20 minutes. Even though the carrots are also cooked in the dutch oven later, roasting them first gives them an additional pop of flavor you will enjoy.

Next time I hope to remember to put red peppers on the shopping list and roast them along with the carrots! The jar of roasted red peppers was in the pantry so that it what was used here, but next time, I will try roasting fresh red peppers also.

While the carrots are roasting, prepare the ingredients for the “aromatics” 😊. In a large dutch oven over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. When it is hot, add the onion, jalapeno, ginger, and garlic. Stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes, adjusting the temperature so the ingredients don’t get too brown, just tender and allowing for a release of their flavors.

After the aromatics are cooked and carrots are roasted, remove the aromatics with a slotted spoon. Add the broth and coconut milk to the remaining oil in the dutch oven and stir to combine, warming through. Place the carrots and roasted red peppers into the soup. I used an immersion blender to roughly puree the ingredients, this is the simplest way to blend the soup. If you do not have an immersion blender, the soup can be transferred to a blender and processed, and then returned to the dutch oven.

Allow the soup to simmer for at least 30 minutes to combine the flavors.

When you are ready to serve, top with basil leaves and enjoy!