Come Rain or Shine...

I love soup.

I think people that have lived through brutally cold winters have a special place close to their heart for this simple yet comforting meal.

There is nothing quite like walking outside, in -30 degrees Celsius, with a vicious wind blowing pellets of hail in your face. Welcome to winter in Montreal. Despite the layers of clothing, thick overcoat, manly looking mittens, and winter hat, by the time I walked through my apartment door each day, I could barely feel my fingers and I was convinced that one day my nose would drop off from severe frost bite. I would begin my defrosting ritual by making myself a cup of tea (my current caffeine addiction can sadly be attributed to an attempt to keep warm rather than any conscientious all-night studying sessions). This would be followed by a bowl of soup, usually of the canned unappetizing variety, which would bring my body temperature up to almost normal.

There were occasions when my roommates and I would go for the real hearty stuff. My favorite steak place, Entrecote, happened to be on our street. Aside from its absolutely mouth watering butter immersed steaks and thin crispy fries, it also ruled in the realm of hearty flavorful carrot soup. After leaving the restaurant we would discuss the soup almost as much as the steaks.

I have to say that I don't really like carrots. I never eat them raw. I don't like them in salads. Sometimes I'll eat them if they're disguised in a stir fry but for the most part I avoid them. For some reason, I only enjoy them in a soup form.

Recently we received fresh earthy carrots in our farm vegetable box. I tried out a simple soup recipe and it was delicious. I had it as a starter that day and as a light lunch the next. It tastes just as good in warm sunny California as it did in Montreal's brutally cold winters all those years ago. Come rain or shine, this soup is a definite keeper...

Recipe for Carrot Soup (from Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks)

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds carrots
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cups+ vegetable stock or water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
fine grain sea salt (as much as you need)

- olive oil, toasted sesame oil, or red chile oil for a finishing drizzle - if you use toasted sesame oil (sometimes labeled pure sesame oil) it is very strong. I typically dilute it with olive oil. I use one part sesame oil to four parts olive oil.

Take the tops off the carrots (if they have tops) and give them a good scrub. Cut them into 1-inch segments and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes or until the onions start to get translucent. Add the stock and carrots and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender - longer if your carrot pieces ended up larger. But try not to overcook. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.

Puree with a hand blender (sometimes I leave the soup a bit chunky, other times I go completely smooth) - then stir in the lemon juice. Now salt to taste. If you used a salty veggie stock, you might just need a little salt. If you used water, you'll need quite a bit more. Keep adding a few pinches at a time until the carrot flavor really pops. If it tastes flat or dull, keep adding.

Finish with a drizzle of great extra-virgin olive oil, one of the other drizzles I mention up above, or whatever twist you come up with.

Serves about 4.