What’s Up, Doc?

How many times have you bought a vegetable at a farmers market or grocery store with good intentions of making something fabulous and forgotten all about it?

That’s what happened yesterday when I opened my fruit drawer. I had sadly forgotten about the two bunches of carrots hiding down there. Did you catch the fruit drawer part? Thank goodness there’s not a lot of fruit available in the markets these days or where would I have put all of these carrots?

The only thing I could create that would “immediately make the carrots disappear from the fridge” was a soup. A lovely carrot soup. A bright orange soup that looks like Spring in a bowl.

Whenever I need to get rid of sad looking vegetables, I cook it with some other veggies, cover it with a combination of broth and water, puree, season and, in less than an hour, you’ve got a fabulously nutritious soup and an empty drawer in the fridge. Perfect. I can sleep now.

When I told David I was making a carrot soup, he contorted his face and asked “Why?” I immediately started laughing and said, “Because I have two bunches of carrots that I needed to use. That’s why!”

If you could have seen the look on his face when he asked, “Why?” And then if you could have seen the look on his face when he took his first bite of the soup. That is one of the things I love most about cooking. The surprise reaction you get when you surpass someone’s taste expectations.

If it’s good enough to impress David, it’s good enough to impress your loved ones, too. So go on, impress them.

Buen provecho!

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Pureed Carrot Soup

This is a great way to use up a bunch of carrots or just to get your family to eat their veggies. You could easily replace the carrots for zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli of whatever veggies you have in the fridge.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword carrot, soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 4

Author The Cowgirl Gourmet

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion chopped
• 3 celery stalks with the leaves diced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt and more to taste when serving
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 lbs. carrots peeled and chopped into coins
• 2 cups vegetable broth low sodium
• 2 cups water
• Greek yogurt plain, for garnish
• Chives finely chopped, for garnish
• Maldon salt and more freshly ground black pepper for garnish

Instructions

1. In a soup pot over medium-high heat, pour the olive oil and when it's hot, add the onion and stir to coat. Let cook for about 2 minutes and then add the celery. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over the vegetables, a few grinds of black pepper and stir to combine. Let vegetables saute until wilted, about 3-5 minutes, and then add the carrot coins. Stir well.

2. In a soup pot over medium-high heat, pour the olive oil and when it's hot, add the onion and stir to coat. Let cook for about 2 minutes and then add the celery. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt over the vegetables, a few grinds of black pepper and stir to combine. Let vegetables saute until wilted, about 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the carrot coins and stir well to coat.

4. Pour the vegetable broth and water in with the vegetables and stir. Once the soup boils, turn the heat to medium and simmer 30-40 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

5. Using a blender or an immersion blender, puree the soup and then pour it back into the pot. When ready to serve, reheat and taste. Add a little more salt, pepper and/or water or broth to thin the soup out, if necessary.

6. Pour soup into bowls, place a dollop of thick Greek yogurt in the center and garnish with fresh chives, a pinch of Maldon salt and more fresh pepper.