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Merry Christmas! I hope you spent your holidays well and that you ate well! We celebrated Christmas with our friend Yannis, and a big group of around 20 people, where each couple had to make two dishes. Our own dishes were a soup and a main dish. My main dish, with no second thought was potatoes with Brussels sprouts and pomegranate, which I make every year and it really steals the show. I had to think about the soup a little … My spontaneous Christmas table thinking led to a pumpkin soup, but since I already have such a recipe I thought of experimenting to make something new. So, the idea of this carrot-soup with coconut milk and ceviche made it a truly original proposal for the festive table. Ceviche is a popular way of marinating fish in Latin America: it is a marinara with a lot of lime and chili, a little onion and fresh coriander. Instead of fish marinara, we use a corn marinara as a vegetarian version full of vitamins and phytonutrients. Carrots are famous for their high concentration of carotenoids, which is one of the most common sources of antioxidants in our diet and one of the best ways to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Recently, researchers have discovered some additional phytonutrients in carrots called polyacetylenes, which function synergistically with carotenoids and help in the non-oxidation of cells and the prevention of colorectal cancer. The combination of sweet aromatic carrot juice with coconut flavours and the acidic and hot taste of marinated corn is simply not possible to be described. Serve the soup in jam jars to make it easier to eat standing, and all 15 jars disappeared in just a minute! I moved the ceviche separately to disposable Sanitas dishes and garnished them after reheating the soup at Yannis’ house. I really suggest that you try it for New Year’s Eve, you will remember me!
Ingredients for 4-6 people
For the carrot soup
– 1 spoon of coconut oil or olive oil
– 1 tsp of turmeric
– 2 leeks, cut into round circles
– 5 fresh tomatoes, cut into four
– 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped,
– 10 carrots, cut into large pieces
– 1 carton of coconut milk (canned not in a four-pack)
– 1 vegetable broth
For corn ceviche
– 100 gr boiled corn
– Half an onion cut into cubes
– A handful of chopped fresh coriander or lemon
– Juice of 2 limes
– 1 small fresh red chilli, finely chopped
– 1 spoon of olive oil
Preparation
– Chop the onion, chili and coriander. Mix with the corn, lime juice and olive oil and leave them in a bowl with a lid in the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours so that the corn absorbs the flavours.
– To make the soup: cook the leeks and garlic with olive oil or coconut oil, adding the turmeric for about 5 minutes.
– Add the carrots and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
– Fill the pot with water until the vegetables are covered and add a cube of vegetable broth.
– Let the vegetables boil for about 25-30 minutes until the carrots are soft.
– Blend the vegetables either in a blender or with a hand mixer to make the soup
– Put the soup back in the saucepan and add coconut milk on a low heat. Stir well until the ingredients are mixed.
– Add salt to the pepperoni soup.
– Serve by garnishing with the corn ceviche.