Who needs cream? The cashews in this recipe make for a super deliciously creamy soup that won’t make you miss the cream one bit. Combined with the hint of ginger, lots of garlic and some sweetness from the mirin, you can’t go wrong. And it’s mirin, not moron, guys. That little autocorrect fail almost got someone blocked on my scope. Luckily, I gave them a second chance 😉
Creamy Carrot Bisque, minus the cream
For the soup:
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 1-inch knob of ginger, diced
- 2 ½ lbs carrots, peeled and chopped
- 6 cups veggie stock or water
- Sea salt, to taste
For the “cream”:
- 1 cup cashews (soaked in water for 20 minutes or up to overnight, then drained)
- 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp mirin (or substitute honey or agave nectar)
Heat a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil followed by the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Top with carrots and stir to coat. Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30-40 minutes.
While soup simmers, place drained cashews in a blender followed by rice wine vinegar and mirin. Top with a ladle or 2 of the soup broth, just enough to blend. Carefully blend the cashews, leaving the lid of the blender slightly ajar or covered with a dish towel to allow steam to escape. Set aside.
Once carrots are tender, remove soup from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Carefully blend the soup together with the cashew cream mixture using a blender or an immersion blender. If using a blender, work in batches and vent lid so steam can escape as mentioned above. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil.
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Ciao,
Andrea