Anna Olson's Carrot, Apple & Five Spice Soup
Posted by Donna-Marie Pye on
Excerpted from Anna Cooks by Anna Olson. Copyright © 2025 Anna Olson. Photographs by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
MEET & GREET ANNA OLSON COOKBOOK LAUNCH EVENT
Ingredients...
- Sarafino extra-virgin olive oil, for the pot
- 6 to 8 large carrots, (about 1½ lb/675 g total), diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 tart apples, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tsp Chinese five-spice*
- 4 cups (1 L) Grandma-Style Chicken Stock (p. 20) or store-bought
- 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
- Salt and black pepper
- Sweet & Spicy Honey Butter Cashews (p. 123), chopped, or toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
Method...
- Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot over medium heat.
Add the carrots and onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, until
the onions begin to look translucent. Add the apples, garlic and
five-spice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. - Add the stock and bring the soup up to a simmer, then reduce the
heat to medium-low, cover the pot and gently simmer until the
vegetables are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. - Purée the soup using an immersion or regular blender (in batches,
if needed) until smooth, then stir in the cream, return to a gentle
simmer and season to taste. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the
chopped cashews (or pumpkin seeds).
Makes 8 servings
Note: The soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
*Other spice blends can easily take the place of Chinese five-spice, creating a very different tasting soup, without changing any of the other ingredients. Try using the same measure of Ras el Hanout, harissa powder or paste, herbes de Provence or garam masala in place of the five-spice and let me know how it turns out!
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