Rosh Hashanah – Carrot and Apple Soup

Rosh Hashanah – Carrot and Apple Soup Recipe Type: Vegan option Author: By kind permission of Denise Phillips, Jewish chef and food writer Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 50 mins Serves: 8 I love to bring spirituality to the table through symbolic recipes and I hope this combination ticks all the boxes with my chosen ingredients. Carrots are one of the significant special foods that we are encouraged to eat. In Yiddish the word for carrots is mehren, which means to increase. So for this reason it is a custom in many communities to eat carrots at the start of the New Year in order to wish for a good and prosperous start. A leek in Hebrew is karti, which means to cut, and at Rosh Hashanah time we wish to symbolically cut down our enemies. Soup is one of the easiest starters for family meals. Carrots, sweetened with apples and a teaspoon of honey provide a delicious warming soup. Note: When soups are puréed, I like to garnish them with the ingredients they are made with. Ingredients 1 kg carrots – ideally organic – peeled and roughly chopped 1 onion – peeled and roughly chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil – for frying 2 leeks – peeled and sliced 3 apples – peeled, cored and roughly chopped 2 teaspoons honey (for a vegan version, use agave syrup) 2 litres vegetable stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper For the garnish 1 carrot, peeled 1 red apple, cored and sliced thinly Instructions Heat a large deep saucepan with the olive oil. Sauté the onion and leeks together until soft but not brown. Add the carrots, honey, apples and stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a liquidiser and purée to a smooth consistency. Taste and season. For the garnish, using a paring knife make very thin strips of carrots. Cook in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and refresh under cold water. Pat dry with absorbent paper. To serve the stylish way: Sprinkle over some carrot spaghetti and strips of apple. 2.2.6 For more delicious recipes, and details of Denise’s cookery classes, please visit the Denise’s Kitchen website . All classes can be tailored for vegetarians. Denise’s Kitchen Tel : 01923 836 456 Email : denise@jewishcookery.com Web : www.jewishcookery.com