Our son Ethan loves books. He is almost two and a half now and we have been taking him to the library to play in the kids section and to pick out books for us to take out and read to him at home. Anyway, we recently picked up a book for him called Carrot Soup, by John Segal. Essentially this Rabbit plants a carrot patch and patiently waits for it to grow so he can make his favorite dish, you guessed it, Carrot Soup. However, when he finally goes to pick the carrots for his soup, he finds they are all gone! I won't give away the ending, but suffices to say, its a children's book and the ending is a happy one. Ethan loves this book somuch that I think we have read it at least four times a day since we took it out. To anyone out there with a toddler, this book is a winner.
I bring this up here because on the very last page, Rabbit's recipe for Carrot Soup is listed. Now for those who frequent Margerum's Herbs, Etc. at Clark Park, you know that Noelle has the largest and most tastiest carrots in Philadelphia. Considering my easy access to these aforementioned carrots, of course we had to try Rabbit's recipe. The recipe is pretty basic and you can do whatever you want to it to suit your tastes, but in its most basic form I found it to be delicious. Sarah didn't though, which I think is more due to her personal tastes than anything wrong with the recipe. To test this hypothesis, I had my brother-in-law Stu and sister-in-law Emily give it a taste. Stu agreed with me that the soup was heavenly, but Emily wasn't so fond of it. Again, I chalked this up to her personal tastes (she is Sarah's sister...lol). Although it wasn't her bag, Emily gave me the most relevant criticism in that while it wasn't up her alley, it wasn't bad and it tasted like something she would have at a gourmet restaurant. Quite a rousing endorsement indeed.
So here is the recipe. Give it a shot and let us know what you think. So far, its two and a half people for and one and a half against. And of course, if you need the carrots, see me on Saturday's at Margerum's Herbs at Clark Park. We shall see if there is any merit to Rabbit's recipe!
Rabbit's Favorite Carrot Soup -
2 Pounds of carrots - washed, peeled, and shredded
4 14-ounce cans chicken broth
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup of butter
salt and pepper to taste
5 sprigs of fresh dill or parsley, minced (or dried to taste)
1. Saute' the onion and celery in butter in a large covered pot until tender. Add the shredded carrots and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer with the pot covered for a half an hour.
3. Let cool slightly. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add dill or parsley (I used both). Serve.
2 Pounds of carrots - washed, peeled, and shredded
4 14-ounce cans chicken broth
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup of butter
salt and pepper to taste
5 sprigs of fresh dill or parsley, minced (or dried to taste)
1. Saute' the onion and celery in butter in a large covered pot until tender. Add the shredded carrots and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer with the pot covered for a half an hour.
3. Let cool slightly. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add dill or parsley (I used both). Serve.
