Creamy Carrot and Orange Soup

Tags

carrot and orange soup, carrot soup, carrot soup recipe, chicken stock, crumbled bacon, food, garlic, orange zest, recipe, soup

A delicious soup that features the sweetness of carrots and orange with the salty crispness of crumbled bacon.

Well, hello!

Tonight’s dinner is a first for this little family.

I’m going to attempt to place a vegetable based soup onto the table and just sit back and see what happens.

As you know, we are a chicken-loving family.  There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but with temperatures approaching the mid-eighties here I was thinking of something a little lighter for this week’s menu.

To satisfy the meat-a-tarians who reside with me, I’ve made the soup with chicken stock, sauteéd the carrots, onions and garlic in bacon fat (high fives all around) and topped the soup with some crumbled bacon.

There will be bread.

Yes, a large crusty loaf of Italian bread will make its way to the table to soften the blow of this brightly colored soup.  I fully expect the littlest to declare with conviction that his dinner will consist of bread and a couple of glasses of milk.

That’s no problem.  I’m ready.

The smell of bacon sizzling away should temporarily fend off quizzical facial expressions and my favorite question: “What’s that?” or “Is that what we’re eating?” You’ll need 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled.  You’ll want to save the rendered fat (2 tbsp).

Add 2 lbs of chopped carrots, 2 cups of chopped onions and 6 cloves of minced garlic to the reserved bacon fat and cook or medium heat for 10 minutes.  You’ll add 4 cups of chicken stock to the carrot-onion mixture and bring the soup to a boil.

1 cup of fresh orange juice is added to the soup after the solids and chicken stock have been pureéd.  Lastly, add ¼ cup of crème fraîche just before serving, stirring to incorporate.  Top each serving with crumbled, cooked bacon, freshly ground black pepper, a little orange zest and a pinch or two of fresh chopped parsley.

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The graphic above shows our menu this week.  I would’ve loved to have shared this to you Monday, but I’ve provided the links to the recipes for you to take a look at and perhaps something will catch your eye.

See you later this week!

Creamy Carrot and Orange Soup

Ingredients

1-2 tbsp reserved bacon fat (or 2 tbsp of olive oil)

2 medium onions, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 lbs carrots, scraped and chopped

4 cups, chicken stock

½ tbsp kosher salt

1 C fresh orange juice

¼ C crème fraîche

3 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp and then crumbled (reserving bacon fat)

freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp fresh orange zest

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Method

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat add chopped onions, garlic and carrots to reserved bacon fat.  Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken stock and 1/2 tbsp kosher salt.  Raise heat bringing pot to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for 40 minutes until carrots are tender.

Transfer soup by the ladle-full to the bowl of a food processor or a blender.  Puree in batches until smooth, discarding solids.  Add orange juice and crème fraîche, stirring to combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve soup topped with crumbled bacon, black pepper, orange zest and flat leaf parsley.

Yield: 6 cups