With the arrival of autumn, there is nothing better than a warm cream of carrot soup. Have you ever tried to make it more appealing with tea? So here is my recipe for cream of carrot and lapsang souchong, an easy, light recipe that is also suitable for vegetarian friends.
If you want, you can also add a few pumpkin chunks that go well with the rest of the flavors.
Do you know what lapsang souchong is? It is a smoky black tea that you are unlikely to forget…to learn more click here
Carrot and lapsang souchong soup
(for 4 people)
- 1 small onion
- 10 medium-sized carrots
- 2 heaped tablespoons of lapsang souchong tea
- 1 liter of natural mineral water
- 5 potatoes
- 150 g cream cheese
- extra virgin oil
- salt
To prepare the cream of carrot and lapsang souchong, I recommend starting with the tea. For four people, boil 1 liter of natural mineral water and let the lapsang souchong steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and cut the carrots and potatoes into similar-sized rounds.
Chop the onion and sauté it for a few minutes in a high-sided pot.
Add the carrots and potatoes.
Once the tea is ready, strain and pour it into the pot with the vegetables so that it covers them. If you like smoky notes, do not throw away all the leaves but add some to the pot.
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cover the pot and leave it to cook for 15-20 minutes.
Adjust the salt and spreadable cheese and blend with the help of a mini pimer (if you don’t have one, a blender is fine).
Once the creamy carrot soup has reached a creamy and smooth consistency, all we need to do is serve it with drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and maybe just with a cup of lapsang souchong or Keemun black tea.
Now some tips to customize the recipe. If you like a slightly tart aftertaste, add a tablespoon of goat cheese to the velouté, in addition to the cream cheese.
Other curious and tasty combinations might be a pinch of white pepper or ginger, or try adding a few chopped almonds to the cream of carrot and lapsang souchong.
If you or your children do not like the smoky notes of lapsang souchong tea, you can replace it with intensely flavored black tea. An Indian Assam or a Chinese Keemun, for example.