Roasted Carrot Soup
When you roast vegetables, the sugars in the vegetables caramelize and the flavours become concentrated. Puree them into a soup and you will have a kaleidoscope of flavours. Of course, you can make this soup without roasting the vegetables but it won’t taste nearly as delicious.
Serves 6
1 ½ lbs (680 g) carrots, peeled and cut into 1” (2.5 cm) wide slices
2 medium cooking onions, peeled, trimmed and cut into 8 chunks
1 parsley root or parsnip, peeled and cut into 1” (2.5 cm) wide slices
1 stalk celery, cut into 1” (2.5 cm) wide slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
salt and pepper, for sprinkling
6 cups (1.5 L) chicken stock
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
2 tsp (10 mL) dried savoury leaves (not ground)
2 bay leaves
¼ cup (60 mL) sour cream or plain 2% yogurt
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay the carrots, onions, parsley root or parsnip, celery, and garlic cloves on the cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables have started to brown and shrunk slightly. Be careful not to let the onion burn.
Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or stock pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the potato, savoury leaves, bay leaves and the roasted vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. Remove the bay leaves.
Purée the mixture using a hand immersion or stand blender until silky. Add additional chicken stock or water if the soup is too thick. Heat through and adjust seasonings.
Ladle the soup into soup bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of parsley.
