We have an ongoing soup war in our house. Mr Grumpy and The Princess like chunks in their soup, and refer to soups without bits as “pappy”. I prefer my soup silky smooth, with a large dollop of sour cream and a slab of soda bread on the side. Most of the time I bend to their preference, mainly as there is less moaning from The Princess when I do. Sometimes though, I am in the mood to torture them both, and that is when something like this carrot soup appears for dinner.
Soup is so easy to make, and requires nothing more than a chunk of bread to become a complete meal. It is also extremely nourishing, particularly if made with bone stock. In the winter months, soup is an ideal meal for a busy household. Most soups can be readily made in advance and rewarmed just prior to serving. They can also be easily reheated and served as individual portions. And as most soups freeze well, they are perfect for emergency meals.
Despite The Princess’s dislike of soup, it makes an appearance on our table every week through winter. Although when I initially scheduled it into my menu plan on her swimming night I was told ” You can’t do that! I don’t want to swim in liquid, then come home and eat liquid!” Her outcry worked … that week.
Whilst I do love to torture my family, I usually make the smoother soups for my lunch during the week. This carrot soup is an old family standby. I always have carrots in the fridge and onions in the store-cupboard. It is quick to pull together and freezes well, so I generally package it in individual serves to reheat through the week. Best of all, I get to eat it alone without the moaning.
Feel free to add as much cayenne pepper as you like, particularly if you like it a bit spicier. Author: Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas Ingredients
- 60g butter or ghee
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 medium carrots, chopped
- 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup milk, cream or sour cream
- Salt & pepper
- In a large pot, saute the onion in the butter or ghee until they begin to soften.
- Add the carrots, chicken stock, and cayenne pepper, and simmer until the carrots are soft. The amount of time this takes will depend on how small the carrots were chopped.
- When the carrots have softened, puree the soup. I do this using a hand held stick blender, and just keep blending until the soup is uniformly smooth. If you don't own a stick blender, you will need to puree this in a blender or food processor.
- Stir in the milk or cream and reheat. Do not allow it to boil though or it will split.
- Season with salt & pepper and serve.