What Did I Eat Today?

Sometimes it's hard to find a tasty meal during a working day. Working in the centre of Helsinki means that you have multiple of choices but not necessarily very healthy. Again, tasty for me is more important than healthy and combining those two means usually compromising both. Recently, I have decided to go for a soup when looking for a tasty lunch. Luckily, I have one excellent place for that: restaurant Grotesk. Today, as yesterday, I ate wonderful, gingery carrot soup. I have no idea of the recipe but here are a couple that I found. They all sound very tempting...



Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon


1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/4 pounds medium carrots, peeled, chopped (about 3 cups)

2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

3 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons sour cream 1 small carrot, peeled, grated


Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.



Gingered Carrot Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger

3 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

4 cups sliced peeled carrots (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup matchstick-size strips peeled carrot (for garnish; optional)

1 tablespoon matchstick-size strips peeled fresh ginger (for garnish; optional)


Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/4 cup minced ginger and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups chicken stock and 4 cups sliced carrots. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.

Working in batches, puree mixture in blender or processor. Return soup to saucepan. Mix in orange juice, then half and half. Cook over low heat 5 minutes. Mix in ground cinnamon. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing, thinning with more stock if necessary.) Ladle soup into bowls. Top soup with carrot and ginger strips, if desired, and serve.



Szechwan Carrot Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

a 3/4-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and sliced thin

1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

3 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1 cup milk

Garnish: 1/4 cup sour cream mixed with 2 tablespoons heavy cream

In a large heavy saucepan cook onion, celery, and garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened. Add carrots, gingerroot, red pepper flakes, and broth and simmer, covered, until carrots are very tender, about 45 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients and in a blender purée mixture in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return soup to pan and heat over low heat until hot, being careful not to let boil.

Serve soup drizzled decoratively with sour cream mixture.

Let's see what happens...

Cooking Under A Cherry Tree... what a stupid name for a food blog! There it is until someone suggests a better name.

The purpose of this blog is to publish recipes, simpy stated, and, time permitting, also to write other food-related stuff. My thinking of food and eating is in change. I would like to follow-up with this blog whether that change has a factual meaning in real life.

What is real life? It is coming home late from work, grabbing something to eat, which is not usually healthy. It is shopping grocerys in haste, without a shopping list or neglecting it. It is craving for a special treat after a miserable day. The real question remains... Am I really able to change my eating habits and my relationship with food?