Soup is my barometer.
Soup tells me how much a restaurant cares about the details of their dishes. It’s not the daily fish special or the fanciest steak on the menu that can tell you everything about a restaurants menu… all of the details and love and care (if they are there) are in the soup.
I’m talking about in the development of flavors, the house-made stock, the onion dice, the thorough puree, the texture, the garnish, the temperature. And… since soup is not one of those glitzy menu items like pork-belly-this or fried-brussels-sprout-that… soup sits around waiting for just the right amount of salt and heat and garnish to make it shiiiine exactly bright.
Last week I ordered Carrot Jalapeño Soup at Sylvain, one of my very favorite New Orleans restaurants. On point. The soup was perfectly creamy (probably laden with an ample amount of heavy cream), and juuuust spicy enough to make me question and affirm my choices. The soup had so much love and care, it really could have outshined any type of bacon fat on the menu.
Because some of a good thing is never enough, I made my own Carrot Jalapeño Soup, vegan and with feeling.
This soup is spicy, creamy, filling and delicious! Dang near as delicious as this Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup, but maybe that’s just me having a thing for raw cashews. Let’s discuss.
This soup, as most soups do, comes together rather discretely with sautéed onions and garlic. I also added fresh thyme leaves before adding the spice of fresh jalapeños and sweetness of fresh carrots.
Building flavors is key.
Carrot soup is also lovely with the balance from fresh celery. It adds just the right amount of earthiness to the soup. Celery always seems rather affirming in nature.
As the soup simmers, with carrots, jalapeños, and vegetable stock, we make a simple cashew cream.
Cashew cream is born (bus mostly blended) from raw cashews and filtered water. It remarkable that such a simple mixture can add such a wonderfully creamy texture to our soup!
Once the carrots are simmered to soft, we puree the soup (jalapeños, broth and all) into a smooth puree with an immersion or upright blender. The blending is satisfying and steamy.
Finish the soup by stirring in the cashew cream, tasting, and adding salt and a touch of pepper.
Because I didn’t strain the soup or the cashew cream, we’re left with a hearty soup full of character and bite. I used two jalapeños per pound of carrots. The jalapeños were de-seeded to remove a bit of the spice and bitterness. It’s just enough spice to compliment the sweetness of the carrots. This soup is simple, yet full of comfort and care. I hope you love it!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 pound (about 8) carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed and sliced
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in 1 cup water for 1 hour
- 3/4 cup filtered water
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots and jalapeño.
- Add the vegetable stock and stir to combine. Reduce heat and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer uncovered until carrots are completely soft, about 30 minutes.
- Drain water from the raw cashews.
- In an upright blender, combine cashews and 3/4 cup water. Blend until smooth. Place in a small bowl and set aside.
- Once the carrots are soft, remove the soup from the heat and use a immersion blender to blend smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can blend the soup smooth in an upright blender in three batches. Be careful not to fill the upright blender too full with hot liquids while blending. If using an upright blender, transfer soup black to the pot and stir in the cashew cream.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Soup will last, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 7 days.
Meagan @ The F&B Department
Sylvain is the best. I go there twice a week on average just to get the daily soup and market salad. THE. BEST. I could probably save money making this recipe at home, though :)
Millie l Add A Little
This looks amazing Joy and I love the addition of cashews for creamyness!
bec {daisy and the fox}
yum!! this sounds like homemade soup deliciousness at it’s finest :D
and the cashew cream would make the nicest creamy flavour and texture.
so excited to try this recipe out, while we still have winter over here in Australia
Thanks for the recipe Joy!
and as always, lovely photos :)
Bec {Daisy and the Fox}
http://www.daisyandthefox.wordpress.com
Ahu Shahrabani
Woah, this is awesome on so many levels! And I totally agree on using soup as a ‘measure’ of a restaurant’s level of care!
Amy
Perfect timing! I may have just bought 10 lbs of carrots (buying bulk always seems like a good idea at the time). Anyways, I can’t wait to make this soup!
Maggie
This is so wonderful!! I am addicted to carrots, I have made your carrot ginger coconut soup for my family 1000 times already. I love it every single time, but they will love it if I add this to my carrot soup repertoire
Jennifer Allison
whatever you serve in those FAB bowls has to be a winner..i mean c’mon! gimmethebowls! :)
Britt
I am not vegan, but I have been recently enjoying the delicious blend of flavours vegan cooking offers. This recipe just hits every button for me. Spicy and creamy soup, yum. This is definitely on my must make list.
Evie {Domestic Whimsy}
mmmm…I’m sold! This looks comforting and nourishing, just the kind of food I want in the fall.
Sarah @ Little House Pantry
This looks delicious. I’ve never made a cashew cream before. What else do you typically use it in? I make a carrot ginger soup that I bet could use some healthy thickening…
Ella
Looks sooooo tasty- thanks for regularly sprinkling in a few vegan recipes :)
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
Sonja
Hi Joy. I love using cashew cream! It’s God’s gift to the dairy-free and vegan. BTW, I love your style of writing and pics. You are gifted and blessed! Sonja
joythebaker
thank you for your kindness!
Kim
My husband and I went to Sylvain during our recent visit to New Orleans, per your suggestion, and it TOTALLY ROCKED. We had such a romantic and delicious dinner there. We also visited Boucherie and were equally impressed. Your recommendations are spot on. This soup looks amazing!
joythebaker
that makes me so happy, Kim! New Orleans is a wonderful place and I’m so happy you enjoyed some great food!
shelly
how fortuitous you post this recipe! i’ve got a sick one at home, and all he wants is soup. shall be making this mach schnell
joythebaker
i hope it’s feel better soup for your sick one!
Girl Named Allyn
My silly guy is allergic to dairy AND nuts (especially cashews. Lame), but I’m thinking this would still work perfectly with coconut milk. Yummm…
We all need occasional spice levels that make us question our sanity. Nashville hot chicken is a perfect example of that.
joythebaker
totally good with coconut milk! also Tracy’s Carrot Coconut Soup looks just perfect: http://www.shutterbean.com/2013/carrot-coconut-soup/
Girl Named Allyn
Oh, we’re HUGE fans of that one! And I often increase the spice factor exponentially, so it’s probably pretty dang close to your soup!