Carrot and Rosemary Soup

From Laura Doherty
Serves 4-6

You can easily substitute other vegetables in place of the carrots in this soup, such as butternut squash, acorn squash, potatoes, yams and so on. This recipe first appeared in Kathleen Flinn’s The Kitchen Counter Cooking School.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
2 leeks (white and light green parts), chopped
1 pound carrots, diced
Several fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne (optional)
⅓ cup quality plain yogurt (optional)
Croutons (optional)

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart or larger saucepan. Add the onion and leeks and sauté until softened. Add the carrots, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, stock, a couple of pinches of coarse salt, a few grinds of coarse pepper, and a pinch of cayenne if using. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer until the carrots soften, about 1 hour.

Remove from the heat. Discard the rosemary and the bay leaf. Puree until smooth. Add in additional water if necessary. Return to the pot. Check the seasonings, adding salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste. Serve warm or cooled. Garnish with a scoop of greek yogurt or croutons if desired.