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Sarah's Creamy Carrot Soup

Sarah, one of my oldest greatest friends, first made this soup for me a million years ago when she lived in Portland. I remember that several extra people showed up just as she was about to serve up the soup & she had to give us smaller bowls than she'd planned. She was worried that there wouldn't be enough food, but this Creamy Carrot Soup is so rich, especially with cream, that we all ended up with full bellies anyway.

This is definitely one of my more forgiving soup recipes as far as, erm, quality of ingredients. I frequently make this soup with supermarket carrots in the middle of winter when the farmers' market is closed. My seasonally cooked, locally grown, (uncertified) organic values are not completely mixed with the talk I'm walking right now...& o boyo does this soup warm you up in the dark days!

It is also a very easy recipe. It doesn't take very long & half of it is cook time. Another easy recipe that's perfect to make while this one simmers is Carrot Cake. I just buy a huge bag of carrots & spend the day with them -- ending up with soup & dessert for days. What a reward!

ingredients

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound carrots, shredded
  (that's the hardest part)
• 4-6 cups stock
  (chicken or your favorite stock)
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 4 shallots or green onions, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons dried chervil
  (Sarah uses this, but I've never bothered to find it & the soup's still fantastic)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 cup heavy cream
  (I use half & half with a little extra butter & sometimes even just milk if that's all I've got)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• nutmeg
• around 2 hours (30 minutes actual work time)
• Serves 6-8

instructions

Saute onions in butter until translucent.

Add carrots & toss over medium heat until wilted.

Add chicken stock & bring to boil.

Add rice, shallots, chervil, salt & pepper.

Simmer 40 minutes.

Puree & bring back to boil (okay, so the puree part is hard too -- careful, don't burn yourself!!!).

Take it off heat & add oj, cream, sour cream & dust with nutmeg.

If you want a chunkier texture, only puree half or so.

Maybe have a glass of wine while you're cooking it, too!