Carrot Soup

I may have mentioned before that one of my favorite things to make is soup. Not the watery, sodium packed variety from that well loved red and white can - No, my soup is homemade.
I love to make soup because you really can add anything you like; you're the artist here, it's your show.

There are an incredible number of soups that you can make at home. All you really need is some substance and some liquid. I'm a chicken stock girl myself, but water will do. You can use green, leafy vegetables, root veg, even fruit!

The following is my favorite soup-making method as I roast the veg before making the soup. To be honest, you could do without this step, but it doesn't yield the same sweet, smokey character. This version is with carrot and apple, but I've also made it with a variety of squash, sweet potato and parsnip.

Roasted Carrot and Apple Soup

Ingredients:
6 large carrots, peeled and chunked
2 apples, peeled and chuncked -Cortland is my fave
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 med. white or yellow onion
2 tbsp Olive oil
S&P
3 c. chicken stock
3 c. water

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 F. On a baking sheet, toss the carrots, apples, onion and garlic in the olive oil and S&P. Roast for 15 mins.

Transfer the roasted veg to a large pot and add chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to med. heat and simmer for 20 mins.

Puree the mixture in small batches, and add some S&P to taste.

The result; a smooth, rich soup, like a hug on a cold day! :)

Roasted Veg

Roasted Carrot and Apple Soup
garnished w/ Hot Chili Flakes and Rosemary