Cream of Carrot Soup

Samantha’s Cookbook p. 18

1 pound carrots

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup half-and half

Crackers

Peel the carrots. Rinse the peeled carrots under cold water.

Cut the carrots into 1/2-inch slices.

Or just buy baby carrots and give them a quick chop.

Put the sliced carrots into a 2-quart saucepan. Add the chicken broth.

Cook the carrots and broth over medium-high heat. When the broth begins to boil, or bubble rapidly, turn the heat down to medium low.

Cover the saucepan. Cook the carrots for 20 minutes or until they are very soft and break apart when pierced with a fork.

Place a colander in a large bowl. Pour the broth and carrots through the colander, catching the carrots. Save the broth.

Save the whales, save the pandas, and now save the broth.

Put the drained carrots back into the 2-quart saucepan. Mash them until they are very smooth. 

My potato masher was confused. "We're mashing WHAT, now?"

Set the pan aside.

In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Then stir in the flour.

Cook the butter and flour for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly.

Add the mashed carrots, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir to mix them together.

What a happy bowl. :)

Slowly stir in the broth. Turn the heat up to medium high and cook for 10 minutes. Stir often.

Add the half-and-half. Heat the soup slowly, stirring constantly. Do not let the soup boil.

You hear that, soup? NO BOILING.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Serve with crackers. 

Any excuse to eat crackers is a good excuse. I can't keep them often because I nibble on them too much, but they're a great sometimes-food. 

My Rating: 5/5 "Quite nice. I think it's the cayenne pepper that does it. There's really not a spicy kick to this, but there is a hint of zing that helps the dish cross the line between real soup and some carrots mashed up in some milk. Dunk the crackers - you won't regret it!"