Carrot Soup (Sopa de Cenoura)

Carrot Soup (Sopa de Cenoura) is best with freshly harvested carrots. Of course, we all do not have access to just harvested carrots.  Nonetheless, this soup is a truly wonderful one that is easy to make and loaded with vitamin A. It’s perfect for fall and makes a delectable first course dish for a Thanksgiving dinner.

It is unique because a straight forward puréed soup.  It also does not require other ingredients to give it additional texture, which is unusual in Portuguese cooking. This Carrot Soup (Sopa de Cenoura) will please your tastebuds.

Serves 6

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
¼ cup very ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, left whole
One pound carrots, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1 medium white sweet potato, peeled and chopped into I-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1 cup peeled and roughly chopped yellow turnip (rutabaga)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon coarse salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1.  Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 4-quart stock pot over medium-high heat. Add and sauté the onion until a light golden color. Stir in the tomato and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and continue cooking until the tomato is soft and partially dissolved, about 15 minutes.

2.  Put in the carrots, sweet potato, and turnip. Pour in the water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and purée the soup (a hand-blender works well). Stir in the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup back to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 more minutes, then serve.

Note: Regular white potatoes are typically used for this soup, but one day I found myself with only white sweet potatoes in my bin. Taught to use what I had on hand, I added one to the pot. The result was wonderful. Since then, I use a white sweet potato for this recipe; I like the way it rounds out the flavors. Try it both ways and see which you prefer.

Tip: For entertaining or special occasions, I dress this dish up with a drizzle of heavy cream.

Variation: For a change in color and texture, in step 3 add ¾ pound fresh spinach, coarsely chopped or even chopped fresh green beans. Simmer for 5 minutes until vegetables are just tender.