I’m sharing my favorite carrot soup recipe below, but first I want to say thanks to everyone who’s ordered poetry this week! The Poetry Pop-Up Shop is open one more week, and closes on Saturday, October 5.
In the shop you’ll find:
Lineage of Heartbeats, my hand-bound chapbook with poems of land, food, body, and love
Only Then, a hand-set letterpress poem printed on gorgeous cotton paper
Order a copy today for yourself or a friend. Thank you for your support!
You know how people talk about comfort eating? Let’s talk about comfort cooking.
About hours in the kitchen, about softening onions and garlic in olive oil, stirring pots of soup, melding distinct scents into a new aroma that wafts up and envelopes you as you stand by the stove, wooden spoon in hand.
Summer calls for easy, simple meals that don’t take long to make. But now the days are getting cooler, the evenings creeping in earlier, and I wish for long hours alone in the kitchen, music playing in the background.
So as we tip into autumn, it’s time to put that wooden spoon back into rotation and warm the house with the comfort of soup simmering on the kitchen stove.
Of all the soups there are to make, carrot soup is my favorite.
Unlike tomato or minestrone or squash or chicken soup, this one is built on root crops, and is grounding in a way the others can’t be.
Carrots and potatoes form the base of my recipe, and together they ground me in warmth, in the sureness and sweetness of soil. They offer me comfort from their own experience: you will be uprooted, but only then can you meld with the wonders around you in a new way.
Carrots and potatoes offer me comfort from their own experience: you will be uprooted, but only then can you meld with the wonders around you in a new way.
When I first began cooking, I followed recipes often. Now I use them more for inspiration, and let the vegetables at hand lead me along.
When I get a certain recipe down close to memory, like the soup described below, the experience of cooking is as grounding and relaxing as reconnecting with a dear friend. And just like being with an old friend again, there’s a process of both discovery and sinking into a comfortable, known rhythm.
And that’s exactly how I feel when I make carrot soup. It’s easy and familiar, yet it shifts depending on the seasoning at hand and what I’m craving.
Below is my go-to carrot soup.
Since it’s slightly different each time, I’ve written it here with ingredients and suggested amounts, but I encourage you to experiment and find your favorite ratios. I like to think of making soup as recipe-improv—giving you the characters, and letting you create your own story in your kitchen.
Creamy Carrot Soup
Ingredients
Oil: extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
Onion, chopped (1 small-medium)
Garlic, chopped (2-3 cloves, depending on your taste)
Carrots, sliced into half-circles (1 lb)
Potatoes, chopped into 1” cubes (2-3 mid-sized, I like creamy varieties like german butterball or Yukon gold best)
Water, to cover roots (about 4-6 cups)
Sea salt to taste
Optional: herbs (dill, thyme, parsley); spices (curry, turmeric, black pepper); cashews, sour cream or plain yogurt for topping
Instructions
Sauté onions and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent.
Add chopped carrots, potatoes, salt, and any seasonings you’re using. Sauté for about 5 minutes, letting the seasonings meld into the roots.
Add water so the roots are covered by about 2” (the amount of water you use will affect how thick or thin your final soup is. If it’s too thick, you can always add more water at the end).
Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer until the roots are soft.
Puree with an immersion blender (or pour soup into a blender and blend until smooth).
Optional: Garnish with a handful of cashews, or spoonful of sour cream or yogurt. If you made this an herbed soup, finish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley or dill.
I hope this soup brings you as much comfort and nourishment as it does me.
What are your favorite meals to make this season? Let me know!
Love your comment about using a recipe as a guide. So often we must adapt to what is available in our pantry. Recently I did this with a chocolate chip cookie recipe. It called for brown sugar, which I did not have. I used an older jar of honey that was starting too crystallize and the cookie was delightful.