Love is in the air, is that coriander I smell?
Today’s post is another recipe, this time for carrot & coriander soup. Carrots were a common root vegetable which was eaten by almost everyone in the Middle Ages. They are easy to grow, easy to store and wonderfully versatile!
Coriander is an ancient herb with roots (hehe) in Greek medicine, treasured within Egyptian tombs and a late bronze age British preservative. Coriander clearly has many uses, the one which is most relevant this Valentine’s Day is its use as an aphrodisiac.
Ground coriander was added to ‘love potions’ in the medieval and renaissance eras. Whether it was successful or not I unfortunately do not know. However, a man named Robert Turner is credited for saying coriander “stimulates the animal passions.” when drank with wine in the book Herbal Simples Approved For Modern Uses of Cure.
The Ingredients
- 5 good sized carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium or 2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 handful of fresh coriander, chopped or crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 1tsp of ground dried coriander
- 1tbsp of cooking oil
- Enough vegetable stock to cover the ingredients
The Method
- Add the oil to a large pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes until they are softened
- Stir in the ground coriander and the potato, coat the potato in the spice
- Add in the carrots and then the stock, bring it to boiling and then reduce to a simmer
- Allow it to simmer for 20 minutes, then add the chopped fresh coriander and stir.
- Ready to serve!
If you are looking for a smoother soup, feel free to use a hand blender to smush everything up, or if you are feeling authentic, crush the pieces of carrot against the wall of the pan with the back of your spoon.
Our soup turned out much greener than it should as I added WAY too much fresh coriander, the recipe above has been adjusted to make sure you get a nice orange colour.
Happy Valentine’s!
The Plump Peasant 