Jamaican Carrot with Pear Relish
It's fall, everyone, and that makes me want to make soup, soup, and more soup! I have just made my Jamaican Carrot Soup with Pear Relish. The soup is rich with flavors of the Islands - ginger, allspice, cumin, and chile.
- 5 Tbsp. Butter - unsalted
- *2 Lbs. Carrot - thickly sliced - buy organic if possible
- 1 Medium Sweet Potato - peeled and thickly sliced
- 1 Medium Size Onion - thinly sliced
- Kosher Salt* and Fresh Ground Pepper - to taste
- 4 Large Green Onions - seeded and thinly sliced
- 1/4 to 1/2 Scotch Bonnet Chili - seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 tsp. Soy Sauce - used a low-sodium if possible
- *1 tsp. Fresh Thyme - chopped
- 1/2 tsp. Ginger - ground*
- 1/4 tsp. Cumin, Allspice, Nutmeg - ground*
- 6 Cups Chicken Broth* organic if possible*
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice - fresh squeezed
Pear Relish
- 4 Bartlett Pears - peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch dice peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 1/4 Cup Italian Parsley and/or Cilantro chopped
- 1/4 tsp. Allspice - ground
- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg - ground
Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the carrots, onions, sweet potato, salt, and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are softened and golden for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the green onions, chili, soy sauce, and all the spices and stir until fragrant for about 4 minutes.
Add the stock and the bay leaf and bring them to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat until the vegetables are tender for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. With either an Immersion Blender Stick* or a blender*, puree the soup in batches and return to the saucepan.
Pear Relish
In a medium bowl, toss the pears with lemon juice. Fold in the remaining ingredients and chill until ready to use. Reheat the soup. To serve, ladle into large shallow bowls, and garnish with the cold pear relish.
Keyword Jamaican, Carrot, Pear Relish, Sweet Potato