This is one beautiful (and delicious) soup.
The original recipe comes from a cookbook titled Soup for Syria photographed and compiled by Beirut chef, photographer and cookbook author Barbara Abdeni Massaad. Massaad also is the author of the best-selling cookbook Man’oushe: Inside the Lebanese Street Corner Bakery. She also is a very good human being.
Massaad lives in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, a forty-five minute drive from one of Lebanon’s hardscrabble Syrian refugee camps. The Pew Research Center estimates that six-in-ten of Syria’s pre-conflict population is displaced, one million of them taking refuge in Lebanon.
A mother of three, Massaad was moved by the suffering of the refugees in the camp, particularly the children, and began delivering food and supplies on a regular basis. In the process, she became friends with some of the families and began the Soup For Syria project–the publication of a cookbook and photography collection to raise money for refugee relief. Massaad said of her project, “When I visited the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, I said to them: ‘Had I been a barber, I would have cut your hair for free. Because I am a cookbook writer and photographer, I am doing what I can do to help through my work.'” Her photographs are extraordinary and heartbreaking.
Hear about her project in her own words in this short CNN video clip: Soup For Syria and Barbara Massaad.
So it was that Massaad curated soup recipes from notable international chefs into the Soup for Syria book. Yotam Ottolenghi, Alice Waters, Anthony Bourdain and a whole lot of gifted chefs you may not have heard of contributed. While there are a number of Middle Eastern soup recipes in the book, the collection can better be described as international. You’ll find everything from Iranian Pomegranate Soup to Soupe du Pistou (from Bourdain) to this Cream of Carrot Soup from Alice Waters. The book was first published in 2016 and has raised more than half a million dollars for Syrian refugee relief.
You can buy Soup For Syria on Amazon here. There is still time to buy the book (and help a worthy cause) in time for the holidays.
Here is my adaptation of one of the carrot soup recipes from the book. This recipe was contributed to the Soup for Syria project by Chez Panisse’s Alice Waters. Waters said of Massaad’s project: “Whether we are in times of crisis or times of peace, gathering family and friends together around the table and sharing food is one of the most powerful and life-affirming acts we can do. And there is nothing more comforting and nourishing than a bowl of warm soup.”
Barbara Massaad reminds us once again that one person can still make a difference, even in a world so seemingly out-of-control.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 4 T. butter (plus more as needed)
- 2 onions (sliced)
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 1/2 pounds carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 2 t. salt (or to taste)
- 6 C. vegetable stock
- 1 C. whipped cream or creme fraiche (or more) (I used half and half)
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste--I used ground white pepper)
- For garnish: Small handful chervil, chives, tarragon, Italian parsley, and/or green onion (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and thyme to the pot and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Add the sliced carrots to the onion mixture. Add salt. Cook for five minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth and simmer the soup until the carrots are tender. This will take about 30 minutes.
- Puree and adjust seasoning. Add the cream. Not having heavy whipping cream in my refrigerator, I used half and half (not whipped) and I was generous. Add the dairy to your taste.
- Garnish with chopped herbs.
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