Make the Little Hippo’s carrot soup

She also noted that while they make the soup with zero-sodium vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian, chicken stock would make a delicious substitution. At the restaurant they prepare their own Madras curry powder by toasting a combination of eight spices including fenugreek and star anise, then grinding the toasted spices with turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne. However, for our readers, they feel it’s fine to substitute store-bought Madras curry powder.

The Little Hippo’s Carrot Soup

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup 1/4-inch diced yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons table salt

2 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 pounds chopped carrots

4 cups no-sodium vegetable stock, or water

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons full-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons full-fat sour cream

Spiced Pepitas (see recipe), for garnish

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and salt and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in Madras curry powder and turmeric and cook 1 minute. Add carrots and vegetable stock and cover saucepan. Cook until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Using an immersion blender or transferring the mixture to the jar of a stand blender, puree soup until smooth. If using stand blender, return soup to saucepan.

Stir in buttermilk and sour cream and warm over low heat until uniformly hot, about 5 minutes. Serve garnished with Spiced Pepitas.

Makes 7 cups.

Per cup (without pepita garnish, with vegetable stock): 281 calories (percent of calories from fat, 73), 5 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams total sugars, 4 grams fiber, 24 grams total fat (14 grams saturated), 61 milligrams cholesterol, 793 milligrams sodium.

Spiced Pepitas

The Russells enjoy garnishing their dishes with toasted nuts and seeds and say that peanuts, almonds, pistachios or sunflower seeds, or a combination, could be substituted in this recipe. Jamie Russell suggests any leftover seeds would make a nice crunchy addition to salads made with soft lettuces and Aaron Russell suggests stirring them into dark chocolate to make a seed-studded bark.

1 1/4 cups raw, shelled pepitas

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as sunflower or peanut

1 1/4 teaspoons table salt

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin

Scant 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

Scant 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine pepitas, oil and salt and stir well. Heat pepitas until lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and add cumin, ground mustard and turmeric. Continue cooking until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add parsley and lemon zest. Spread pepitas on prepared baking sheet and allow to cool. Store, covered, up to 2 weeks.

Makes 1 1/4 cups.

Per tablespoon: 57 calories (percent of calories from fat, 77), 2 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 146 milligrams sodium.

From the menu of ... the Little Hippo, 27 N. Avondale Plaza, Avondale Estates; 404-941-9763, thelittlehippoavondale.com.

Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.

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