Easy and Exotic: Moroccan Carrot Soup

I lived in Morocco for some time when I was a child, and developed a palate for this French-speaking country's cuisine early in life.  To this day, I continuously seek out and try out new recipes with North African flavor profiles.

In the early 1900's Morocco was governed by France, so you'll find that some of its cuisine employs French methods to transform its exotic spices and local produce (mainly root vegetables and dried fruits) into delicious, flavor-packed and surprisingly refined dishes.

The recipe I'm sharing with you this week is inspired by Moroccan cuisine. It is incredibly fast and easy to make and requires relatively few ingredients--all of which are easily found in most American and European kitchens. The result is simply spectacular...once you taste this soup, you will seriously consider serving it as first course at a dinner party or at your next family holiday gathering.  Read on for the deets.

Gather and prep your ingredients

The proportions listed will yield 4 first course servings

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1.5 lbs carrots, diced
2.5 cups chicken broth
2 slices fresh ginger root
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp honey 
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Fresh parsley, chopped 


Get Cooking

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter at medium-high heat, then sauté the onions in the butter until translucent (about 2 min).

Stir the carrots, the ginger and the chicken broth into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until the carrots are fully cooked (about 20 min).

Remove from heat. Scoop out and discard the ginger root. Using a food processor (or hand blender), puree the broth and vegetables mixture until smooth.  If using a food processor (preferred), puree in batches.

Allow the yogurt to come to room temperature. Prep it by stirring it until it achieves a soft, creamy consistency. 

I used Greek yogurt since I like that it's more robust--but any unsweetened plain yogurt will work.

Return the puree to the saucepan and stir in the cumin, lemon juice and honey. 

For a smoky twist, you can substitute the honey with maple syrup (I did).

Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley. Done!