Winter Carrot Soup Recipes

Steps:

• In a 6-quart pan, over medium high heat, add butter and onions and cook, stirring often, until onions are limp. Add broth, carrots, and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced.
• Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Don't fill the blender more than half way, do it in batches if you have to. Cover the blender and then hold a kitchen towel over the top of the blender*. Be careful when blending hot liquids as the mixture can spurt out of the blender. Pulse the blender to start it and then puree until smooth. Return to the pan and add cream, stir over high heat until hot. For a smoother flavor bring soup to a boil, add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Ladle into bowls and garnish with dollop sour cream and parsley sprigs.

Steps:

• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover partially and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant. Add the rice, water or stock, salt (about 1 1/2 teaspoons), and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and the soup is fragrant.
• Blend the soup either with a hand blender, in batches in a blender (cover the top with a towel and hold it down to avoid hot splashes), or through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. The rice should no longer be recognizable (it thickens the soup). Return to the pot. Stir and taste. Adjust salt, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and heat through. If the sweetness of the carrots needs a boost, add another pinch of sugar.
• Serve, garnishing each bowl with croutons and a sprinkle of herbs.

Steps:

• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, combine the leeks, garlic, carrots, celery, turnips, potatoes, bouquet garni, 1 1/2 quarts water, 2 to 3 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.
• Pass the soup through the coarse blade of a food mill (or purée using a blender or an immersion blender).
• Return soup to the pot and whisk in 1/4 cup crème fraîche (or more, to taste). Heat through, taste and adjust seasonings (be generous with salt and pepper). To serve, garnish each bowl with a spoonful of crème fraîche and a sprinkle of parsley or tarragon.

Steps:

• In a saute pan, saute onions and garlic in a bit of oil (sesame is nice, but canola is just fine) until they start to look clear.
• Add carrots, pumpkin, and chicken broth.
• Stir to combine, and pick a few spices: nutmeg, cumin, paprika and cinnamon are my standards, but it's really up to you.
• A bit of salt is nice, too.
• Once the carrots have softened, ladle them into a blender and puree.
• Return to pot, and repeat if desired.
• You should have a nice thick bright orange soup.
• Now comes the tricky part.
• Produce rice, ideally from a forgotten Chinese food carton in the back of the fridge.
• (If no leftover rice or pasta is available, freshly cooked will work just as well.) Dump this square of gluten into a bowl, and add lemon juice (Tbsp+) and pepper.
• Microwave under plastic for about two minutes; the rice will soften and absorb the juice.
• Add this to the soup.
• Stir a few times to combine; serve.
• A note about the chicken broth: As a variation, I've substituted orange and apple juice, and watered wine.
• You may want to alter your spices a bit, but I think you'll be surprised at how bright this soup tastes.