Brrrr. Its chilly outside. What shall we eat... hm-mm.... Things to eat on a cold & snowy (or cold & rainy) winter day... Soup and stews. Anything roasted. Something warming and filling, and yet something easily made, to give us plenty of time in the evening to linger by the fireplace or take the dog for a snowy walk through a bit of woods.
The answer... Bisque.
According to our friends at wikipedia, "bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly-seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth (coulis)....creamy soups made from roasted and puréed vegetables are sometimes called bisques." While many people might think of seafood and crustaceans in bisque, for those of us who eat a plant based diet, this term usually refers to smooth creamy vegetable soups.
I love pureed soups. They are full of flavor and uncomplicated, filling and yet so easy to eat you could almost drink it (I'm lazy, I get tired of chewing). Smooth and delicate, but born of fiery roasted flavor. MM-MM, Bisque.
In our fridge, we have carrots-- lots and lots of carrots, intended primarily for juicing. But today we got inspired-- why not roast them? And then puree them? And dress it up in raw almond creme? Sounds so complicated, but in fact really easy to make, because it doesn't require a constant presence behind the stove. Its slow cooking, and slow food is good food.
For the roasted carrots I prepped 3 lbs of carrots, which I peeled and cut cut into 3 inch long chunks (note that scrubbing them works just as well). I tossed them until they were coated in a glaze (1/2 tablespoon agave nectar to bring out the carrot's natural sweetness, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt,and 1 teaspoon fine ground white pepper). I baked them in a preheated oven at 400 F in a big pyrex dish, maybe larger than a 9x13" pan but that size would work just as well. I covered the dish in foil, but you can also use a covered casserole dish. I stirred the carrots after 30 minutes, to ensure even cooking, and again after 50 minutes before adding lemon zest (from one lemon-- about 1/2 tablespoon), and 1 tablespoon finely minced thyme. I let the carrots cook, uncovered, for an additional 15 or 20 minutes, until the carrots were somewhat browned and all of the liquid was reduced.
For the soup, I prepared the begginings of a mirepoix: I coarsely chopped 1 yellow onion, sliced 2 celery ribs, and combined them in a large stainless steel stockpot, with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon sea salt. I cooked them at a medium high heat untill they were sweated and somewhat transclucent (about 10 or 15 minutes), and then reduced the heat and added 5 cloves of garlic. I sauteed this until the garlic cloves had softened and the onions had begun to caramelize, about another 10 minutes on medium low heat. Finally, I added the roasted carrots to complete the mirepoix, and after tossing them for a few minutes, added 5 cups of water and let the contents simmer for 30 minutes, or until most of the water had reduced and the whole mixture was very well softened.
I used my food processor to puree the base for my bisque. I have a large food processor that fit all of this mixture, but many food processors may require you to process the mixture in batches. In either case, reserve the pureed carrot mixture, either in the processor or another bowl, and use the empty and unwashed pan to make the roux to thicken the soup. Any unused bits of flavor left on the pan will incorporate into the roux used to thicken and flavor the bisque. I combined 2 tablespoons of light flour (either unbleached white, or if you want wheat free, rice flour) with 3 tablespoons olive oil. After toasting the roux for about a minute on high medium heat, I added 1 teaspoon each of cumin and turmeric for color and flavor, stirring in until absorbed by the lightly browned roux. I finished it with fine ground white pepper, about 1 teaspoon.
I strained the finely pureed roasted carrot mirepoix mixture through a large sieve straight into the pan. The problem with this is that you have to keep on stirring to keep the roux from over thickening, forming lumps, and ultimately burning. I worked furiously with a wooden spoon to press the mixture through the fine holes of the sieve. Next time, I might strain such a mixture into a bowl before starting the roux, to avoid such complications.
I highly recommend straining this soup, even though it is an extra step; it would not be a creamy bisque without producing a coulis by removing the remaining vegetable fibers. It makes the bisque super smooth, which is what we are looking for. While I was doing all of this straining and stirring, I was also adding in water, one cup at a time-- about three, but I would add more as needed, until it is runny but not watery. Finally, I added more thyme (about 1 tablespoon), lemon juice from 1 whole lemon (which can be added to taste), and 1 cup of homemade almond milk (but any milk will do--I just love the clean flavor of homemade almond milk made from soaked almonds). I heated the soup to a simmer before serving garnished with additional drizzlings of almond milk, and scattered thyme leaves ... If you are not serving this soup right away, you can wait until serving to bring to a simmer. Derek added more salt and pepper to his soup, so salt and pepper to taste-- but I liked mine just the way it is.
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