“Men are like soup: you always want to have one on the back burner, just in case.”
Unattributed feminist quote
Unattributed feminist quote
Tried my hand at a tomato-carrot soup this morning, flavoured delicately with a spice that has intrigued me endlessly over the past few days. None other than the pretty star anise ! A nice & gentle vegetarian soup, beautifully flavoured & great for the winter chill that has descended upon us. This is an adaptation of a soup my mother makes almost everyday in the winter months.
Star anise plays a key role in the slow cooked dishes that characterize Eastern Chinese cuisine. Its licorice flavor enhances red cooked dishes. It is also the secret ingredient in many Indian stews and curries. 
Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 8-10 medium / quartered
Carrots – 2 / chopped roughly
Onion – 1 / quartered
Garlic – 2 cloves
Red Lentil (Masoor dal) – 1 tbsp (optional/I add it to increase food value)
Star anise – 2 flowers
Salt to taste
Butter – 1 tbsp
Freshly ground white pepper
Carrots – 2 / chopped roughly
Onion – 1 / quartered
Garlic – 2 cloves
Red Lentil (Masoor dal) – 1 tbsp (optional/I add it to increase food value)
Star anise – 2 flowers
Salt to taste
Butter – 1 tbsp
Freshly ground white pepper
Method:
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Put all the vegetables + lentils + star anise in a cooker or pan with salt & about 2 cups of water.
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Cook until soft.
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Remove the star anise (reserve for garnishing if you like) & run the soup in a blender . Strain.
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Take some butter in a pan & saute the white pepper for a minute. Turn the soup into the pan & simmer till it comes to a boil. Serve with a drizzle of cream & freshly ground pepper.
Warm soup for the soul…pipe a heart on top & you’re all set for V-day!!
‘No Croutons Required‘ a new monthly food blogging event alternately hosted by Lisa’s Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes. Each month the host will invite bloggers around the world to submit a vegetarian soup or salad recipe, sometimes with a theme, sometimes not. The theme for February is simply vegetarian soups…which fits me in quite warmly! My entry’s on its way…
that’s a smart way of using star anisee in tomato soup:) like the idea…
Deeba, ToCa soup looks inviting! SO its soup, staranise n a heart…3 birds in one stroke..:D nice post!!I can handle this recipe 😉
How delicious! I never had carrot in my tomato soup, and now I’m wondering why…this sounds great. The star anise sounds like a great addition, too 🙂
After carrot and orange soup, this is another favourite of mine – the star anise must have raised it to another level!
Hi there. Just dropping by to say hello. Love all the stuff you make and all the lovely presentation. I’m gonna try your chocolate strawberry cake but don’t know when yet. 🙂 It’s gorgeous, by the way.
looks gr8! thanx 4 sharing…
These flavors sound like they would be wonderful together. My mother would love this soup, she loves anything with tomatoes or carrots.
This sounds wonderful and I’ve been on the lookout for star anise recipes. Fabulous!
Just got here from Lisa’s site. Gorgeous soup and so many wonderful baking recipes! 🙂