ERIKA ALLISTON : Sweet Pea – food blog

EMILY THE GREAT’S CARROT & PEAR SOUP

First there was Catherine the Great of Russia (1729 – 1796), and then a few hundred years later, came Emily the Great, my good friend, who proudly gave herself this name at the ripe old age of 2, for surely one great lady in history deserves another!

And a great lady she is, one who I am proud to know, and who was a lifesaver (the pink kind with a gold star) at my wedding this September 6th. So how does the soup fit in you may ask – well in amongst the dress fittings, dinners, last minute ribbons, welcome packages, speech preparations, vows etc, we all had to eat…. so each member of the family took turns putting something delicious together.

Emily’s contribution to the soup pot – was in fact soup, her version of fresh garden carrot, autumn William pear, and spicy Cayenne pepper. Top that with oven baked, olive oil & garlic croutons, and you have a great fall dish, that I couldn’t wait to put on the blog. Afterall today is the 1st day of autumn / fall.

RECIPE – SWEET PEA BLOG

This a new taste for me, a sweeter soup than I am used to, but one that I have fallen in love with. What is nice is that you can taste each individual ingredient – the sweetness of the pears & carrots, nicely offset by the spicy cayenne pepper & brought together with the tangy yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 6 large carrots
• 4 medium William pears
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups chicken broth (approx 1L)
• cayenne pepper to taste

Preparations:

• peel & cut the carrots into small rounds
• peel & cut the pears into small pieces
• peel the garlic and chop into small pieces
• peel & coarsely chop the onion

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion & garlic. Let cook on a medium low heat until the onions become slightly soft (approx 5+ minutes)
2. Next boil the 4 cups (1L) of water and add a bouillon cube to make the chicken broth. Add this to the onions & garlic.
3. Now add the chopped pears & carrots, and simmer until they are well cooked.
4. Using a hand blender, mix the soup well, until it is evenly blended and slowly add cayenne pepper to taste.
5. SERVE: topper with a spoon of thick greek yogurt & homemade croutons.

HOMEMADE CRUTONS:

• cut1/2 a bagetteinto 2cm (1 inch) cubes, toss with olive oil and crushed garlic.
• Evenly spread onto a lined baking tray.
• Bake for approx. 10 mins in a 180°C oven, turning ever so often so they cook evenly