a soup any bunny would love

a recent abundance of carrots has led me to make several dishes involving my ex-foe daucus carota. i used to be very allergic to raw carrots until recently and found out from my allergist that many people who, like myself suffer from severe hayfever, are allergic to raw carrots & celery. funny enough, when cooked, the chemical structure of the carrots (and celery) is altered and pose no problems in that state. getting back to cooking ....

one of these dishes, which i sometimes make, is a purée of carrot soup. while this was tremendously popular at certain times, visions of the '80s return, this is a simple soup which can easily be altered to suit your taste. what i am offering here is one version and a sort of framework for the base of the soup; go ahead and put whatever spices & seasonings which suit your fancy. the use of the almonds is optional but is part of this specific recipe. this soup needs to be thinned and can be altered to meet your desires for whatever texture you prefer, using milk or cream or even a nondairy liquid such as almond milk or soy milk.

somehow this recipe seems best when made in a cocotte. what's that? see the recipe below. wouldn't you like one of those babies?!

potage crème de carottes

ingredients:

3 tbsp mild olive oil or vegetable oil or butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 - 2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 medium/large carrots
10 - 12 blanched almonds
2 tsp salt [less if your stock is salted]
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground caraway
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp sugar
2 - 3 tsp pomegranate molasses, optional
4 c stock or water, your choice
cilantro or italian parsley
milk or cream or non dairy milk {almond or soy, etc.}

method:

chop onions and garlic. either cut carrot into small chunks or put through a processor to coarsely grate. this will allow the soup to cook more quickly though here it's not really necessary.

in a cocotte [dutch oven or soup pot], add the oil and heat over a medium low fire. place the onions and garlic and blanched almonds in the pot and sauté until lightly browned. add the carrots and cook stirring for 10 minutes. add the spices and seasonings and cook another 5 minutes. add your stock and then cook on a low heat, covered, for about 40 minutes. give a stir every once in a while.

here you may use a hand immersion blender directly in the pot, or as i do, place everything once it has cooled a bit to avoid burns, in a blender and purée it completely. it can also be done through a food mill.

return this to your cocotte and add what you want to use to thin the soup in whatever proportions you choose. i would start out with small amounts and test along the way. adjust your seasonings and spices too.

garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley. you may add toasted slivered almonds on top or crunchy, toasted croutons.

enjoy!