Chłodnik z Marchewki
Cold Carrot Soup with Orange Juice
How to pronounce it?
hwoah-dnick smar-hev-key
‘Play’ to hear:
If you enjoy chilled soups, you’re going to love this Cold Carrot Soup recipe. It’s luxuriously creamy and full of spring’s most colourful arrival – young carrots.
Its sweetness comes from a touch of honey, a glass of zesty orange juice – and the carrots themselves. Raisins, nuts and seeds act like little gems, making the soup more interesting, and more exciting to eat.
This easy recipe yields a silky-smooth cold soup that’s perfect for a relaxing, spring or summer-time lunch. It can even be served as a dessert!
For the full list of ingredients & detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. But before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know below.
This recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks: a mammoth volume called “Kuchnia Polska: Potrawy Regionalne” (“Polish Cuisine: Regional Dishes”) penned by Hanna Szymanderska.
In her book, Cold Carrot Soup is listed as the regional dish of Wielkopolska (Greater Poland region). I tried to find it in other sources, but to no avail.
It’s worth noting that some of the recipes in this book were collected directly from the ladies of the local country clubs. And there’s no source more trusted, that’s where culinary traditions are passed from generation to generation.
Do you need any special ingredients or equipment to make this Cold Carrot Soup?
No. All of the ingredients should be available in any major store. When buying young carrots, you can keep the greens to make this Carrot Top Pesto.
Equipment-wise, a mixer (hand-held or standing) will be useful. We’ll need it for whipping some cream before serving. If you’re up for some exercise, you can whip it by hand with a whisk.
How should you serve this Cold Carrot Soup?
When it comes to cold soups, there are lots of great ideas for garnishing – for example:
- Nuts, chopped or as flakes
- Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin seeds
- Croutons, crunchy soup pearls
- Vegetable chips, edible flowers, salad sprouts
What should you serve with Carrot Chłodnik soup?
This Cold Carrot Soup makes a wonderful appetizer/starter, served before the second course. But if you would like to make it more of a complete meal, pair it with these:
- a piece of bread (or baguette) with some butter
- crispy toasts, either plain or topped with cheese or garlic butter
- crackers or breadsticks
In terms of beverages, I would suggest a glass of sparkling white wine, ideally dry. A mild, light beer would pair well too.
Can you make this Cold Carrot Soup another way?
You could make this recipe vegan-friendly: just swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock, and replace regular cream with coconut cream.
What diets is this Carrot Chłodnik suitable for?
This recipe is gluten-free, as long as you skip any grain-based garnishes (e.g. croutons are a no-go).
How long can you keep this Cold Carrot Soup in the fridge?
You can store this soup in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do make sure that the soup is stored in a container with a lid.
Can I freeze this Cold Carrot Soup?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe. I did make a few attempts, and the results weren’t too good – the texture turned unpleasantly grainy.
Polish Cold Carrot Soup with Orange Juice
This Cold Carrot Soup is velvety smooth and PACKED with healthy ingredients.
It's perfect for spring or summer lunch, or as a part of a dessert tray.
Ingredients
- 6 medium carrots (14 oz, 400 g)
- 1 medium onion, white
- 3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock
- 1 cup (250 ml) orange juice, 100% or freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp orange zest, grated
- 3 tbsp almond flakes
- 3 tbsp raisins
- ½ cup (115-120 ml) whipping cream (30% fat or more)
- 1 tsp honey
- A pinch of herbal salt, to season (see notes for subs)
- White pepper, ground, to season
To garnish (optional):
- 3-4 tbsp parsley leaves
- 3-4 tbsp nuts and seeds, e.g. pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almond flakes
Instructions
- If your raisins are on a large side, slice them in half. Drop the raisins into a small bowl and soak in four tablespoons of orange juice.
- Peel carrots and the onion, and chop them roughly, dropping them into a cooking pot as you go. Pour chicken stock in and bring to a near-boil. Reduce the heat, and cook for 25-30 minutes until the veggies soften. Don’t put the lid on, let the stock evaporate as it cooks.
- Once cooked, add in a teaspoon of honey, a generous pinch of herbal salt and a pinch of white pepper. Stir the seasoning in, and leave the soup to cool down.
- Once cooled, use a blender to purée everything together until smooth (to save tie on clean-up, I use an immersion blender. But you can use a regular food processor as well).
- Push the puree through a fine mesh sieve, removing any remaining lumps.
- Add the rest of the orange juice, grated orange zest, almond flakes and raisins we soaked in step 1. Stir everything together, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Before serving, whip half a cup of cream - by hand with a whisk, or using a mixer. If you need more guidance, here’s the BBC Good Food guide on How to whip cream.
- Pour the soup into the individual bowls or soup plates. Gently fold in a portion of whipped cream into every soup portion.
- Garnish with parsley leaves, and nuts & seeds of your choice. Serve straight away, while still cold.
Notes
- This recipe comes from Hanna Szymanderska’s “Kuchnia Polska: Potrawy regionalne” (“Polish cuisine: Regional dishes”), published in 2010 in Warsaw by 'Dom Książki' publishing house (page 106). I swapped a teaspoon of sugar for a teaspoon of honey, and that’s the only change I’ve made.
- If you can’t find herbal salt, feel free to use a regular salt.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 1695mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 8gSugar: 15gProtein: 15g
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Recipe Information
Filed under:
Alternative traditional/regional names:
Chłodnik Marchewkowy, Chołodziec, Zimnik
Also known / Misspelt internationally as:
Cold Carrot Soup
Tested by:
First published on:
Recipe by / Adapted from:
“Kuchnia Polska: Potrawy Regionalne” (“Polish Cuisine: Regional Dishes”) by Hanna Szymanderska.
Story by:
Bibliography / References:
