Carrot Soup and Vegetable Stock.

I have always wanted to make soups, like forever. I am not much of a soup person, to be honest. I do not like anything too watery or runny or anything that can drip on clothes. I mean, that is too much work and good food shouldn't be so fussy. It is safe to say, soup is not my comfort food. But, why this soup, you ask?

 This soup- Carrot Soup is an adaptation from 101 cookbooks by Hilary Swanson. I got around to read her blog for hours the other day and I must say, I was quite impressed. The choice of soups do not just limit to tomato or cream of mushroom or the typical soups we get in our hotels.It was about time I drop inhibtions and finally make soup.  I am planning to make my own pot of soup once a week. It is simple. A pot of soup makes for the best dinner. Saying that, simple things are the hardest things in life. Simplicity is highly underrated.
This soup is a basic soup,  packed with flavor. If you are a carrot lover- this soup is for you. Before which, I have to mention, you need to make your own stock which is quite important. I mean, you can buy those vegetable stock cubes, but I can tell you -- once you get around to make your own, you will not go back to the concentrated stuff.

Vegetable Stock:
makes: 4+ cups
(you can add or subtract vegetables,  based on their availability)
this is what I added for my vegetable stock. A basic stock contains celery, which I could not find in the nearest super market. If you find it, you might want to add to it.
 1 potato, quartered
 2 onions, unpeeled, quartered
10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and crushed
1 red raddish, cut into big chunks
1 white raddish, cut into big chunks
3 medium sized carrots, cut into big chunks.
a tablespoon of pepper corns
sea salt ( to taste)
2 bay leaves
1+ liter water
2 tablespoons oil
Method:
In a pan, add oil, sautee the raddish, onion and poatoes for about 5 minutes- this addes a nice flavor to your otherwise bland stock.
In a soup pot or a heavy based cooking vessel, add the water, and the vegetables. Let it simmer for 2 hours.
I will let you in on something, the smell of a big pot of stock brewing is just divine. After 2 hours, strain the stock and store it in a jar. It stays for 4-5 days, it adds tons of flavor to your sauces, soups and curries.

CARROT SOUP
makes: 4 servings
Here is the recipe to the actual carrot soup. This is an adaptation from 101 cookbooks.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

1. Cook the carrot till it is tender. Do not under or over cook it. If you over cook it, you will end up with a mush. If it is undercooked, well, you end with raw carrot in your soup.
2. Seasoning is very critical. Keep adding salt in pinches, keep tasting it. Add pepper (I added some chilli flakes for heat, but this is optional)
3. You can serve them with croutons( I toasted some whole wheat bread in some olive oil and fried cubed panner with the soup. Paneer is actually a very good accompliment to this soup.

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)

METHOD:

• Take the tops off the carrots and wash them.  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
• Puree with a hand blender,  stir in the lemon juice. Now salt to taste.
• 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.
• Serve Hot! Perfect Friday night supper!