It’s already time for The Secret Recipe Club again! You know what’s fun about this? Trying new recipes that are out of my comfort zone.
This month I was assigned the blog Gluten Free A-Z, by Judee. Not only is this a gluten-free blog, but it also has many vegetarian/vegan recipes. Throughout her posts, Judee gives advice and information regarding the foods we eat…or don’t eat, but might want to start think about eating.
Since it is getting to be soup weather where I live, I decided to browse Judee’s soup recipes. The word “Moroccan” caught my attention right away and I decided to make her Moroccan Spiced Carrot Soup. I really love trying out new spices and new spice combinations. So much about the food we eat is influenced by the herbs and spices that we use. We know that if we want to give something an Italian flavor, we are going to be using oregano and basil. For Mexican flavors, we are going to go with various chiles, cumin, and cilantro. But what about Moroccan food?
Judee’s recipe called for harissa, something with which I am not familiar. Like a good little food blogger, I did a bit of internet research to educate myself regarding harissa. I learned that it is a hot, chile-based sauce with cumin, coriander, caraway seeds, garlic, and sometimes mint. Then, of course, again being the good little food blogger that I am, I looked up recipes to make my own harissa.
In all honesty, I was very quickly deterred from making harissa mainly because of the large amount of HOT, HOT, HOT chiles involved. And the time. However, I could easily introduce the flavors of harissa into the soup without any trouble at all and could control the heat factor at the same time.
The soup turned out great, full of flavor and warmth. I departed a little bit from Judee’s recipe, but for the most part stayed true to it. Since I had no idea where to look for harissa in my local stores, I substituted it with paprika, cumin, ground coriander, red pepper flakes, caraway seeds, and fresh mint. To really bring out the flavors, I sauteed the spices with the vegetables. I also halved the recipe, which ended up being a perfect size for my husband and I, giving us each a nice hearty bowl of soup, plus a little left over for lunch. John loved the flavor of the soup and said that the flavor was spot-on for Moroccan flavors. I took him at his word, since I know practically nuttin’ about Moroccan flavors. What I do know, is that this soup was so, so good.
Moroccan Spiced Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on heat preference
- 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 large onion, medium diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, medium diced
- 4 fresh cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 medium-sized carrots, diced
- 1 russet potato, peeled and large diced
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
- Limes, for garnish
- Greek yogurt, for garnish (I used sour cream – it’s not traditional, but it’s what I had on hand)
Instructions
- Heat a 4-quart sauce pot over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Add the salt, paprika, cumin, ground coriander, red pepper flakes, and caraway seeds. Cook for a minute or two, then add the onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes or until soft, stirring often.
- Add the carrots and potato. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes more or until the potatoes are cooked through. Stir as needed to keep vegetables from sticking to the pan.
- Add the tomato paste and stir throughout the vegetables.
- Add the broth and tomato juice. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 20 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped mint and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- For serving, garnish with Greek yogurt and juice from lime wedges.
Notes
This looks great! I use to get Harissa at World Market but they stopped carrying it- I can’t find it anywhere now.
I have shied away from recipes with harissa too since I didn’t know where to purchase it, so I’m thrilled with your own spice mixture. We have an abundance of sweet potatoes from our CSA, thinking of using those in this. Thanks for sharing on SRC.
Denise
Looks like an awesome soup! You’ll have to try out the harissa at some point-it is really amazing. GREAT substitutions though C:
So glad you liked the soup.It is one of our favorites.I have to admit the harissa is a little too hot for me too.I love your spice combination and will be giving it a try.
Hi Terri,
This is a beautiful Carrot Soup, I just love the flavor combination in the recipe. Great selection for the SRC.
Miz Helen
Great soup. The new Food on Friday is all about soup. It would be wonderful if you linked this in. Here’s the link . Have a souper duper week!
what a great choice for the SRC group. SOmething out of the box for me that is for sure. Wonderful photos too
Unique flavors and a good choice for SRC.
Your photo drew me in and then the recipe grabbed me. This looks and sounds delicious, the perfect bowl of comfort on a blustery Fall day.
What a fabulous looking soup! This looks so comforting and delicious.
Your photos are really good and the soup sounds wonderful. Good pick for SRC.
This looks delicious and so flavorful! As usual, your photos are great.
Hi Terri! I was so happy to see your comment regarding Foodgawker and Tastepotting!!! Woohoo! I told you that your photographs are amazing. You really have a knack for getting fantastic photos. Yes, Foodgawker does not like tight shots on their food… Tastepotting is not as picky about that. But I still don’t understand what they are looking for sometimes… each will accept and decline the same photo.
I may have asked you this before… but what editing software do you use after you take your photos? Do you take them in RAW format? I finally bought my camera and I have actually gotten a few photos accepted by FG and TS, but I’m having lighting issues etc… I am still chasing after that magic formula to get my photos right every time. 🙂
PS… I have not mentioned a word about your soup yet… it’s fabulous. I did a southwestern style soup and you did a “spiced-exotic” one… what are we doing flipping around our styles. 🙂
Again… I am so happy for you and I will always cheer you on… you’re a great lady. 🙂
PSS… I don’t know what feedburner keeps forgetting to send me your posts. I signed up again and it says I’m already signed up. So I signed up with my personal email address… I hope I won’t miss your blog posts any more. 🙂
Have a great Sunday! ~ Ramona
looks wonderful