To get to our daughter’s college in Pennsylvania, it isn’t necessary to drive through the state of New Jersey, but that is exactly what we did last Friday. My husband needed to see a client in a town that is not in his regular travel pattern and since we were sort of going in that direction anyway, he asked if I would mind adding a little extra time to our already lengthy drive. Ok, I agreed thinking a good book was all I would need to pass the time.
Ironically, my friend, Alicia, had just recommended a farm to table restaurant in Princeton named Agricola that she had just visited. She shared the restaurant’s first cookbook published last year at our book group’s kick-off dinner.
What are the chances that my husband’s client and Princeton were a mere 20 minutes from each other? Bingo – we had a lunch plan and a place to stretch our legs. Unfortunately, time was tight so I didn’t get to browse around the charming town of Princeton but I hope to on another occasion!
If you find yourself driving through (or near) Princeton, Agricola should be on your list of places to grab a meal. Only 3 years old, Agricola is warm, inviting and bustling with the energy of a young restaurant. Ingredients are sourced from their own Great Road Farm located just a few miles away, as well as other local purveyors. The restaurant is open for brunch on the weekends, lunch and dinner throughout the week. You can learn more about Agricola which means “farmer” in Latin by visiting its website.
Thinking I might blog about our experience and want to attempt one of the restaurant’s recipes, I brought the Agricola cookbook along on the ride so I could plan what to make. I settled on a soup recipe that looked both healthy and seasonal. I have been eating it for lunch all week. There is finally a cold snap in the air and what’s better than a warm bowl of soup? Maybe you can prepare a batch this weekend. I think it would also freeze nicely.
I have streamlined the recipe just a touch to make it more user friendly. The original recipe called for making a ginger oil a day ahead to use as a base for the soup but I have replaced that by adding a little more olive oil and more freshly minced ginger to the base. All the remaining ingredients are nearly the same, although I have also streamlined a few steps as well. The soup is rich and creamy without any cream. The flavor is amped up from other soups by the same name through the addition of fresh jalapenos, but for sensitive palates, you can certainly modify the quantity or leave them out entirely.
Here are a couple of pictures from inside Agricola and of course, our lunch selections.
Chilled Corn Soup with lobster, cucumber and thai basil was ultra decadent. Creamy, sweet and luscious, reminiscent in flavor of creamed corn…
Kale Salad with sunflower sprouts, spiralized carrots and watermelon radish with a pumpkin seed vinaigrette was described by The New York Times as a “perfect salad”. The ingredients accompanying the kale are swapped out depending on the season, but the dressing that is sharp in flavor from lime juice, cilantro, toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh ginger gives the salad its signature flavor. This recipe appears in the cookbook…
And a Turkey Sandwich with slow-cooked turkey, herb aioli, house cured bacon and pickled vegetables was fabulous. The sandwich was served with fries and a house made beet ketchup that I am going to attempt (recipe in the cookbook)…
And here is the Carrot Ginger Soup I made this week. Just finished another bowl as I am typing up the post!
One Year Ago: Chicken Paprikash
Two Years Ago: Roast Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Parsley
See you next week!
This recipe has been adapted slightly from the recipe for Carrot Ginger Soup in the Agricola Cookbook by Josh Thomsen, Kate Winslow and Steven Tomlinson.
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 white onions, thinly sliced
- 2 small jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced (see notes)
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 pounds organic carrots, sliced
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus additional for thinning soup
- pinch of turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lime
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt or creme fraiche
- 1 Tablespoon minced cilantro leaves
- Kosher Salt
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the onions, jalapenos, ginger and a sprinkling of kosher salt. Cook gently until translucent, about 10 minutes being careful not to let the onions brown. Add the garlic and stir for just a minute. Add the carrots and give the vegetables a stir.
- Add the vegetable stock and the pinch of turmeric and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered for 20-30 minutes until the carrots are very tender.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly before placing it, in batches, in a blender and pureeing until smooth (Be very careful when blending any hot liquid. It is important to either allow the soup to completely cool before blending, or to remove the glass top of the blender to allow the steam to escape and avoid the top of the blender exploding. In any case, start the blender on the lowest speed, working up to the puree button).
- At this point, you can return the soup to the dutch oven and season with the salt and pepper. If you would like a thinner soup, you can add more vegetable broth and reheat, adjusting the seasoning as needed. I liked the texture of the soup without adding more broth.
- While the soup is simmering, you can prepare the lime yogurt. Finely grate the zest and juice the lime into a small bowl. Whisk in the yogurt and cilantro and season with salt to taste.
- Serve the soup warm with a drizzle of the lime yogurt.
Tips from The Kitchen Scout
The heat from the two small jalapenos distinguishes this soup from others by the same name. We enjoyed the heat and it isn't that intense, but you can modify the recipe by only using one jalapenos or not using them at all. The lime yogurt sauce adds a brightness to the finished soup and helps offset a little of the heat, but is optional. My husband actually enjoyed the soup cold (when he didn't have time to reheat it!).