Ingredients
4 med (1 lb) carrots, peeled and sliced
1 med yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 T butter
½ t dried tarragon
½ t salt
½ t pepper
½ c orange juice
1 T Merlot
Directions
1 In a Dutch oven, sauté carrots, onion, tarragon, salt and pepper in butter for about 10 minutes until onion is tender. Add the stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered about 12 minutes until carrots are tender.
2. Puree soup; return to pan; stir in orange juice and Merlot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
I really like the prep method this soup uses: cooking the main ingredients in stock then pureeing it all to produce a soup with the consistency of a cream-based soup but has no cream in it. I think I just explained that as eloquently as an 8 year old, and I’m okay with that because that’s what this soup reminded me of. In my family for holidays, we did potlucks. And one of the dishes often brought to a holiday feast was Jell-O salad. There were a few different Jell-O salads that I can remember, but the one that came to mind today was orange Jell-O with shredded carrots in it. This soup has the same flavor profile of that Jell-O salad! Unfortunately for me, carrots and oranges together have never been a pallet-pleaser. I can understand the concept of brightening up the carrot flavor with the sweet acidic orange, but understanding it does not make me enjoy it or want it. I don’t hate this soup; I just don’t prefer these flavors together; and I’m sure it’s a very yummy soup for others. For me, it gave confirmation that back in the day, it wasn’t just the orange Jell-O that I didn’t like (because I knew it wasn’t the carrots; I loved carrots!) but the flavor combo of orange and carrots. Carrot Soup with Orange & Tarragon actually gave me the same feeling that silly Jell-O salad did years ago: a teasing of lovely carrots oddly surrounded and infused with oranges. Well, if nothing else, tasting this soup provided the welcome holiday memories for this Thanksgiving week. And I’m thankful for that!
If you’d like to see the original recipes my posts are based on or read Taste of Home’s article that inspired my 50 Soups in 25 Weeks blogging, go to: https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/soups-to-keep-you-warm-this-fall/.
