The original Moosewood Carrot Soup Recipe

Of all my cookbooks (and there are many), my battered old copy of the original edition of the Moosewood Cookbook is one of my very favorites. I love the fact that the recipes are hand-lettered and illustrated with quirky little drawings. I love that it has a chatty narrative voice that seems to be speaking directly to me. And most of all, I love the recipe for Carrot Soup.

For some reason, when Mollie Katzen and her publishers revised Moosewood in the early 1990's, they changed this recipe (yes, I have copies of the both editions. I don't think there's anything wrong with that). They included two recipes for Carrot Soup in the new edition, which are both similar to the original recipe, but not quite spot on. So I soldier on with my tattered copy of the old cookbook, leaving the shiny copy of the new one on the shelf, lonely and unloved. You just can't mess with my recipes like that!

There were mountains of carrots at the farmers market this past weekend, which is what got me thinking about this soup. It's a terrific recipe because it lasts up to a week in the fridge (especially if you don't add any dairy products until right before you serve it) and gets better over time. Coupled with a scoop of cottage cheese, a green salad or a slice of bread it is a yummy and filling meal. And as luck would have it, the recipe is after the jump.

photo by Marisa McClellan Carrot Soup from the 1977 edition of Moosewood Cookbook

2 pounds peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots
4 cups stock or water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium potato, chopped (optional, for heartier soup)
3-4 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1-2 small cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup chopped cashews or almonds

Choose one:
1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt or buttermilk plus a little honey
1/2 pint heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream

Seasoning choices:
-2 pinches of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, dash of cinnamon
-1 teaspoon each of thyme, marjoram and basil
-1 teaspoon grated ginger

Place carrots, liquid and salt (and potato if you are using it) into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer it for 12-15 minutes. Let it cool to room temp.

Saute the onion, garlic and nuts in the butter until the onions are clear. You can sprinkle in a little salt to help draw the moisture out of the onions. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the seasoning combo of your choice.

Puree everything together in a blender until smooth (I deviate from her recipe at this stage. I dump the sauteed onions, garlic and nuts into the pot with the cooked carrots and use an immersion blender to puree. It saves dishes and energy).

Whisk in one of the dairy products. As I mentioned in the beginning, I often leave this step out until I'm just about to eat a bowl of soup. I'll stir in a little milk, a spoonful of yogurt or some cottage cheese just before serving (and just after reheating, if I'm using the microwave).

Garnish with toasted nuts, some toasted bread crumbs or eat just as it is.