Carrot Soup

Purée of Carrot Soup Recipe

This classic purée of carrot soup is vibrantly colorful and aromatic. It's made using the basic procedure for making pureed soups, thickened by the natural starch from the carrots as well as added potato.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh carrots
• 1 medium Russet (or other starchy) potato
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 qt vegetable broth or stock
• Kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Peel the carrots, then trim the top and bottom ends. Cut carrots into (roughly) same-sized pieces, about ½ inch to 1 inch thick, depending on diameter. Don't worry about precision — the soup is going to be puréed anyway. We just want the pieces to be of uniform size so that they cook evenly.


2. Peel the potato and cut it into pieces about the same size as the carrots.


3. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the butter over a low-to-medium heat.


4. Add the onion, garlic and carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is slightly translucent, stirring more or less continuously.


5. Add the wine and cook for another minute or two or until the wine seems to have reduced by about half.


6. Add the stock and the potato. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are soft enough that they can easily be pierced with a knife. Don't let them get mushy, though.


7. Remove from heat and purée in a blender, working in batches if necessary.
   
   Tip: Use care when processing hot items in a blender as the hot steam can sometimes blow the blender lid off. Start on a slow speed with the lid slightly ajar to vent any steam, then seal the lid and increase the blending speed.


8. Return puréed soup to pot and bring to a simmer again, adding more broth or stock to adjust the thickness if necessary.


9. Season to taste with Kosher salt and white pepper.


10. Garnish with a toasted crouton and serve right away.

Makes about 1½ quarts (6 8-oz. servings) of carrot soup.

Variations:

• Try adding ¼ cup of minced fresh ginger along with the onions and garlic.
• Or, after puréeing, add 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves before bringing the soup back to a simmer.
• Or, stir ¼ cup hot cream into the soup just before serving.
• The soup can be thickened with rice instead of potato. Just substitute about 1/3 cup of uncooked rice for the potato, and simmer the soup until the rice is soft.

Danilo Alfaro