Soup Days, Day Three: 3-Carrot Soup

Everyone loves a pun.  You may roll your eyes, but you know it’s true.  Three-Carrot Soup was a title I just couldn’t resist.  It is, as you would guess, a recipe is for the carrot lover.  As J calls it, a “super beta-carotene see-in-the-dark soup”.  A riff on the Tuscan carrot top soup, it has the classic diced carrots and leafy carrot tops, but this version uses an extra layer: carrot juice.

One thing I love about this soup is that it is thrifty, in that it uses the carrot tops.  My Papou would be very proud (that’s Greek for grandfather, in case you didn’t watch Full House growing up).  He always made sure whatever came home from the market, made it to the dinner table.  Once, he was attacked and mugged on the street by two men who had followed him from the grocery store.  Afterwards he got up, loaded his dropped fruit into his bag, and picked up a package of Danish the attackers had dropped, and took it home for next morning’s breakfast.  My grandmother would tell that story and shake her head, and he would nod proudly and smile a little.

The thriftiness was passed down to me (see cilantro stem oil), and now when J tells the story of how we leave for vacations with a fridge so devoid of perishables that not even a lone egg is left, I am the one nodding proudly with my little Papou smile.

This soup gets some heft from a dose of rice.  I love to use Jasmine rice for this, though it’s not traditional.  I think the aroma goes so well with the carrot-y-ness.  At the end it gets a dose of lemon zest and parmesan for some oomph.  The result is a bright, delicious bowl that would make anybunny happy.  Heh heh… ok, that’s the last pun for now, I promise.

Three-Carrot Soup

Hands-On Time:  10 minutes
Total Time:  20 minutes
Serves 6

Gluten-free, all natural, vegetarian, easy, minimal mess

Special equipment: juicer (if making fresh carrot juice)

Ingredients
4 -5 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 – 4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups / 709 ml vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
2 cups / 316g cooked rice (I prefer brown jasmine rice)
1 cup / 236 ml carrot juice
1 cup carrot top greens, no stems, roughly chopped

To serve
Zest of one lemon
½ cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons shredded parmesan

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil & onions and saute for 3 minutes.

Add garlic, celery & carrots and saute another 3 minutes.

Add thyme, vegetable broth and salt & pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 5 – 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and add rice, carrot juice, carrot tops and taste to adjust salt & pepper, if needed.  Remove thyme sprigs.

Ladle into bowls and top with some lemon zest, parsley & parmesan.