Roasted Carrot Soup recipe
The humble carrot soup is often overlooked or dismissed as boring. But one taste of this version will convert even the staunchest critic. As most of us in the Pacific Northwest are well aware of, eating seasonally during the mid-winter to early spring can often be challenging. Thankfully we have the hearty root vegetables to save the day. Along with Beets, Potatoes and certain heartier members of the collard and cabbage family, carrots are one of the few locally produced winter ingredients. We can still normally find sweet carrots when the weather dips to near freezing temperatures and lingers there.
We often take for granted our root veggies in the colder climates. Like it or not, these are our version papayas, pineapples, and coconuts. Root vegetables grow much sweeter and complex flavors in these climates, and roasting them brings out this complex sweetness even more.
For a change, try this carrot soup recipe with ginger substituted for garlic. Both versions can be enjoyed cold as well.
2lbs organic carrot chopped and lightly coated with olive oil
1pc onion
5pc garlic clove
2l vegetable stock
1 stalk celery
1cup white wine
1 head fennel
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 slices bacon
1 large bunch of fresh thyme
1 large fresh bay leaf
5 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon white pepper (optional)
1/4 lbs butter
For the roasted carrot soup
-chop carrots into 2-inch pieces, toss is olive oil and roast at 450 until lightly browned.
-on a medium/low stove-top, add butter, bacon and heat until butter is melted. Add onion, celery, fennel, garlic and ‘sweat’ on medium low heat for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables become translucent and aromatic.
-add the wine, raise heat to medium high and simmer for 5 minutes. Add thyme, bay leaf, stock, salt, pepper. Bring to boil, then immediately reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Add chopped roasted carrot and continue simmering for 30 minutes.
-remove bacon, bay leaf, thyme and discard. remove a cup or so of liquid and blend in a blender or an immersion blender, adding cream then liquid to adjust consistency.
-season (it will likely need more salt) finish with chopped dill and serve with baguette, toasted bread or crackers. an extra splash of wine will cut through the thickness if you find it too heavy.