fall food

last october on our anniversary, matt & i went to chez panisse cafe in berkeley for lunch. alice waters, who started chez panisse in berkeley in 1971, had just come out with a cookbook, the art of simple food. i bought it for matt to celebrate 5 years of wedded bliss (and 5 years of good meals- mostly. the lentils and pita escapade of '03 will hopefully never be repeated). in the year since, it has become our go to cookbook in its simplicity, clarity, and recipe yumminess. 

one of our favorites is the carrot soup, which is so simple, but so good. (hence the title of the cookbook i suppose...) soup is especially perfect on a fall day, and a great thing to have bubbling on the stove while you wait for election results. (add in a grilled cheese sandwich on the side and it is pretty much autumnal perfection.)

happy eating!

carrot soup - 8 servings

from alice waters, the art of simple food

melt in a heavy-bottomed pot:

4 tbl (1/2 stick) butter

when it starts to foam, add:
2 onions, sliced
1 thyme sprig

cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 10 minutes. 

add: 2.5 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)

season with salt

cook for 5 minutes. cooking the carrots with the onions for a while builds flavor. 

add: 6 cups chicken broth

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

for a smooth soup, use a blender and puree until smooth. (we like to part-way blend to leave a few carrot chunks)

(by the way, no, those yummy looking carrots are not from our garden... sadly, our evil scavenging squirrels would have stolen them long before they got this big)