Food | Spicy Carrot Soup

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."
Henry James



I have been known to call summer far too soon; only to have Mother Nature remind me that her moods know no bounds. But it’s summer. Finally.

Winter was weird- warm, cold, wet but kinda dry at the same time. Winter is always emotional for me- what with missing the sun and all- this year was by far the worst; but its summer now and time to forget about all of winters non sense. High time to throw our hands in the air, thank god and start enjoying this short but wondrous season.



So you might be wondering why soup? Why on earth would I make soup?? No, I’m not crazy- although I’m sure some gentlemen from my past would disagree; I made this soup for work when the weather was slightly less agreeable; and, holy swear word was it was good. Rich and creamy, yet light- simply perfect for an almost summer day.

Prior to making this soup I had never thought to thicken a soup with lentils- it never dawned on me; but the lentils took this soup to the next level. The amount of lentils in this soup is relatively minute, considering the volume of soup yielded, as they serve mainly to strengthen the richness of the soup- yet the light note of lentil flavor really bolsters the carrot flavor- it’s really quite nice. But make no mistake, carrots are the star of this show; but the lentils are the most amazing wing man.



Spicy Carrot Soup
Adapted from Marie Claire Australia

1 red onion
1 tsp cumin
3 tbsp red lentils
1 ½ lb carrots
1 ½ L vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil

In a soup pot heated to medium high heat, sauté the onion, salt and cumin in the oil. Once the onions have started to become soft and fragrant, add the lentils and carrots and cook for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Add the stock and bring to sturdy simmer. Cook until the carrots are soft. Remove from heat and blend until smooth; taste