Carrot Soup w/ Caramelized Onions, Herb Infused Olive Oil, Piment d'Espelettte, and Roasted Hatch Peppers (Vegan)

Put some fire in your belly!

The amount of heat is up to you, of course, but this upscale version of carrot soup will definitely satisfy.

First up is making the homemade vegetable broth from Thomas Keller’s cookbook Ad Hoc at Home. Second is caramelizing the onions (about an hour), and then third, prepping all the ingredients and making the soup.

I separated the work into two days. It definitely fell into the Slow Cooking Movement, but the resulting delicious depth of flavors and beautiful colors were well worth the effort.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 4.8 Persimmons

Vegetable Broth

Ingredients:

1 large bunch leeks (about 1 1/2 pounds), white parts chopped and rinsed thoroughly
1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
1 bunch flat parsley

3-4 quarts water

Instructions:

1. In batches, finely chop all the prepped vegetables in a food processor.

2. Heat the oil, and cook the vegetables until they soften, about 5-10 minutes.

3. Add the bay leaves, thyme, and flat parsley and cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil, and allow to simmer about 45 - 60 minutes. Skim foam from top frequently.

4. Prepare an ice bath in a large metal bowl. Strain the cooked broth into a pot that will then be placed in the ice bath. When there is no more steam rising from the stock, put broth in containers in fridge. Will keep for up to 3 days; freeze after that.

Carrot Soup:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced (mandolin works well)

2 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced into coin shapes
1 medium Japanese sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup celery, finely chopped
24 oz. vegetable stock, or enough to cover all vegetables

Salt & pepper to taste

Garnishes:

(1) Infused Olive Oil:

      1/2 cup olive oil
      3/4 cup flat parsley leaves
      2 thyme sprigs

Chop herbs in food processor; add olive oil and mix well; let sit for about an hour; strain. Add 1 teaspoon herbs back in oil. Add 1 tablespoon to each bowl of soup before serving.

(2) Piment d'Espelette: Sprinkle red pepper flakes to taste.

(3) Hatch Peppers: Roast until blackened on open gas flame on gas stove, or on BBQ grill; serve to the side.

Instructions:

1. In a large stock pot, cook sliced onions in heated olive oil over low heat for about 1 hour. Stir frequently. Onions will brown and become sweetly aromatic.

2. Add carrots and potatoes in pot with onions. Coat with olive oil thoroughly, and cook over medium heat until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. 

3. Add the vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook over medium heat until vegetables soften, about 20-40 minutes.

4. Blend with an immersion blender until all vegetables are pureed (or in small batches in a blender). Thin soup with a bit of stock if necessary. 

5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in serving bowls and add garnishes, or put soup in fridge to serve later hot or cold.

Serves 6-8.

#paleo #vegan #carrot #soup #vegetables #glutenfree #dairyfree #peppers #healthyeats #stock #pimentd’espelette

Vegetable broth recipe from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home.

Carrot Soup recipe adapted rom The Tomato Tarte website, here.

*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.