At the one-year-old’s birthday party that I went to this summer, the mom made a cold carrot soup to go with chicken salad sandwiches. I’ve been meaning to make it for a while, although I’d like the hot version – especially now that it’s below freezing. I didn’t get the mom’s recipe but I did search online for what spices go with carrots to come up with the marjoram addition. It’s fun to use a spice that you haven’t pulled out in a while.
Since the neighbor gave me that celery and leek the other day, all I needed was a super gargantuan carrot. Any carrots from the farm market would do, but today they happened to have giants. This one carrot made over three cups.
According to a recent article in Scientific American, there is some truth in the saying that carrots are good for your eyes, because they are full of beta-carotene which the body uses to make vitamin A. Vitamin A helps the eye convert light into a signal that can be transmitted to the brain, allowing people to see under conditions of low light. Beta carotene is also high in other red-orange vegetables, like yams and beets, and in leafy greens like kale, spinach, and turnip greens. Baked sweet potatoes have more beta carotene than carrots, and we’ll be eating those this winter since they keep well in storage. The part of the article that caught me by surprise is that the cornea (the clear front of the eye) can literally disappear if the body does not get enough vitamin A, and every year 250,000 to 500,000 children become blind as a result of vitamin A deficiency.[1]
Carrot Leek Soup
3-4 C chopped carrot
2-3 C chopped leeks (2 – white and light green parts only)
1 chopped celery stalk, leaves are OK too
2 C organic broth
2 C water
1/2 t marjoram
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t nutmeg
Garnish (optional)
1/4 C sour cream
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1 T chopped fresh chives
Combine carrot, leeks, broth and water in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add spices, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes.
Puree half of carrot mixture in a blender. Put liquefied soup in serving bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining carrot mixture.
Combine sour cream and herbs in a bowl and use to garnish the top of the soup.
[1] “Fact or Fiction?: Carrots Improve Your Vision,” Dina Fine Maron, Scientific American, June 23, 2014.
