Carrot-Orange Soup Aura Cacia

Ease of Preparation: Easy

Preparation Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 25 min

Servings: makes 8 cups

Recipe By: Pino Luongo and Mark Strausman

From: Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen
Used with permission of Artisan

Other Soups & Chili
Other Italian

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Carrot-Orange Soup

I used to own Campagna Home, a take-out shop across from Campagna, my former restaurant in New York City. It was like an Italian alimentari, a type of deli common in Italy where you can buy prepared foods. Every day one of my cooks made this soup. When I took it off the menu to make room for something new, my customers complained vociferously. When I saw how popular it was, I created a ravioli dish with the same flavors, which I now serve at Coco Pazzo.

Ingredients

6 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1-inch dice
1 leek, white part only, well washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
8 cups chicken stock or low-sodium organic chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cinnamon
1 navel orange, washed and halved, seeds removed
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions

Place all the ingredients except for the orange zest in a 6- to 8-quart stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until all the vegetables are very soft, about 25 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf and orange halves.

Transfer 4 cups of the solids to a blender or food processor. Process until completely smooth and silky, gradually adding broth from the pot as necessary. Pour the soup into a large bowl or container. Repeat until all the soup has been pureed. If necessary, gently reheat the soup.

Ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle with the orange zest, and serve immediately.