Carrot Soup

I always have carrots in the fridge. I like them raw, roasted, glazed, sauteed, stir-fried, in salads and soups, a versatile enough ingredient that I can transform them into a side for dinner when I'm in a pinch. As much as I eat carrots, I've never made them the featured ingredient in my dinner until I made this carrot soup. As the cookbook this recipe came from would indicate, this recipe is extremely simple, but by no means boring. This is the perfect recipe for farmer's market or CSA carrots, which will be the most full of flavor (and nutrients). This is a sweet simple soup appropriate for cold winter days clear through hot summer days, where this soup would be quite good thinned with additional stock or water and served cold. If you don't love carrots, this clearly isn't for you, but it is a great way for carrot-lovers to chow down with abandon.

Carrot Soup
adapted from The Art of Simple Food
makes 8 servings

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 onions, sliced
1 thyme sprig or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)
Salt
6 cups broth

1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottom pot. Add onions and thyme and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add carrots and season with salt. Cook for 5 minutes. (Cooking the carrots with the onions for a while builds flavor.)

2. Add broth to carrot and onion mixture. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. When done, season with salt to taste, and puree if desired.