Carrot Soup

Despite the fact that temperatures in LA have been hovering around 80 degrees for the past two weeks, I find myself craving one thing lately...soup. Last week it was lentil soup and since I had so much success with that particular recipe from 101 Cookbooks, I decided to try another yesterday. At the farmers market I picked up some beautiful Nantes carrots from Capay Organic. I was told that these are a French heirloom variety and sweeter than many other carrots you find at the market.  After a bit of wine at DomaineLA and awesome food from the Manila Machine, this soup was the perfect way to end the weekend. The soup is sweet from the carrots and fresh tasting with a bit of lemon. It takes no time to make and gave me an excuse to use my new immersion blender (I want to blend everything now). I was actually going for a chunkier consistency, but I guess I still have to learn how powerful this blender is. I topped my soup with a few homemade croutons seasoned simply with herbes de Provence. This is a great winter soup recipe that can be changed up with different flavors to make something new and interesting every time. Perhaps next time truffle croutons?





Carrot Soup
(Slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 pounds carrots, scrubbed clean and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse sea salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the carrots and the water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 25 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Stir in the lemon juice.

Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool a bit. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth or until it reaches your desired consistency. Serve warm with a drizzle of olive oil or croutons is desired.

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