PORTUGUESE RECIPE : CARROT SOUP
SOPA DE CENOURA

PORTUGUESE RECIPE : CARROT SOUP
SOPA DE CENOURA

Serves 6 in 1 hour 30 minutes
Posted by Ana Patuleia Ortins : 6 March 2006

SOUP / PORTUGAL / Main Dish / Stove / No marination
 

This is one of the many delicious recipes from Guest Chef of the Month March : Ana Patuleia Ortins, famous chef and author of Portuguese Homestyle Cooking.

All the recipes I have included in Portuguese Homestyle Cooking have been collected over the years from relatives and friends and are presented as they would be prepared in a Portuguese home.

To standardize these heirlooms, ingredients have been measured and recipes tested carefully.

With the increased availability of traditional ingredients, the dishes can be prepared authentically. Still variations and substitutions have been noted for when traditional ingredients cannot be found. I encourage you to first cook the recipes as presented, then change the quantities of ingredients to your taste : “com gusto”.

Ana Patuleia Ortins

Click and BUY Portuguese Homestyle Cooking

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, left whole
• 2 peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped very-ripe big tomato
• 1 pound (460 gr) carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
• 1 medium white sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup (80gr) peeled and roughly chopped yellow turnip (rutabaga)
• 4 cups (950 ml) water
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
  

PREPARATION

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 4-quart (3.7 l) stockpot over medium-high heat. Add and sauté the onion until lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and tomato. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and continue cooking until the tomato is soft and partially dissolved, about 15 minutes.
2. Put in the carrots, sweet potato, and turnip. Pour in the water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and purée the soup.
3. Stir in the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup back to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 more minutes and serve.

Tip:

For entertaining or special occasions, I steer away from tradition and dress this dish up with a drizzle of heavy cream.

Variation:

With step 3, add 3/4 pound fresh spinach, coarsely chopped. Simmer for 5 minutes until the spinach is just tender.

For more delicious Portuguese Recipes : Buy the book : Portuguese Homestyle Cooking