Orange Scented Winter Squash And Carrot Soup Recipes

ORANGE-SCENTED WINTER SQUASH AND CARROT SOUP

Steps:

• Cut a square piece of cheesecloth to make a bag for spices, herbs and orange peel. Place allspice berries, cardamom cloves, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and strips of orange zest on cheesecloth. Fold two ends over, then roll up the cheesecloth like a burrito and tie tightly with kitchen string.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add onion and carrots. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add winter squash and garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture smells fragrant, about 1 minute. Add water or stock, potato, spice bag, and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, until squash is very tender. Remove spice bag but first press it against side of the pot to extract liquid.
• Using a hand blender, or in batches in a regular blender, purée the soup. If using a regular blender cover the top of the jar with a towel pulled down tight, rather than airtight with the lid. Return to pot and whisk in the orange juice (or additional stock or water). Taste, adjust seasonings, and heat through.
• Toss quinoa with 1 teaspoon of the pistachio oil. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with some of the quinoa. Drizzle a little more oil over each bowl and serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARROT SOUP

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute onion, garlic and ginger until tender, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker., Add all remaining ingredients except cream and green onions. Cook, covered, on low until vegetables are soft, 7-9 hours., Puree soup using an immersion blender, or cool slightly and, in batches, puree in a blender and return to slow cooker. Stir in cream; heat through. If desired, top with green onions. Freeze option: Freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth or milk if necessary.

ORANGE-SCENTED CARROT SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots and the onion and sweat until the mixture starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, orange zest and oregano and cook until fragrant, another 1 to 2 minutes. Raise the heat and deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the stock and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the carrots are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool the mixture for about 5 minutes before processing.
• Process the soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into serving bowls and swirl in a heaping teaspoon of sour cream before serving.

ORANGE-GINGER CARROT SOUP

Steps:

• Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Finely chop the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile grate the orange to yield 2 teaspoon grated zest. Juice orange to yield 1/2 cup orange juice.
• Add chicken stock, orange zest, and bay leaf to cooking vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender about 20 minutes.
• In a food processor or blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; return to saucepan. Stir in orange juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Mince cilantro or parsley to yield 2 tablespoons. Garnish each soup bowl with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and sprinkling of cilantro and serve.

CARROT SOUP WITH ORANGE & TARRAGON

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, saute carrots and onion in butter for 8-10 minutes or until onion is tender. Add the broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Cool slightly., In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to pan; stir in the orange juice, brandy and minced tarragon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with tarragon sprigs before serving.

ORANGE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.
• When the butter has melted, add the onion and carrots and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Deglaze with the orange juice and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Don't let the vegetables stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the mixture to a food processor or a blender. Puree the mixture until it is smooth and then return it to the pot over medium heat.
• Add the frozen butternut squash puree and chicken broth and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
• Grate some fresh nutmeg and stir to combine.
• Garnish with thyme and zest.