From the day my older daughter started eating solid foods, she was hooked on carrots.  She loved them so much, there was a time that she had an orange hue to her skin – I guess it is common for infants who eat a lot of orange vegetables.  Even today, there are very few vegetables that she will eat, but I can always count on her to eat a pile of carrot sticks if I set them down in front of her.

A couple of weeks ago we were in one of our really nice local markets, and they were serving samples of their carrot soup – she took a sample, and immediately started asking me to make some at home.  How can I resist my daughter begging me to make her healthy carrot soup?  Ok, maybe not complete healthy because the carrot soup in the store must have had tons of butter and/or cream, as it sure tasted delicious.  That week I was reading my Bon Appetit – and what did they have?  A recipe for a Moroccan Carrot Soup – what a perfect coincidence.  Unfortunately though – I decided to make this when some friends were coming over for dinner – I doubled the recipe (there were 6 adults) – and we devoured it.  My daughter only got a very small bowl…    This soup was amazing – beautiful flavor, wonderfully creamy – no one could believe there was no cream.  The toasted cumin and yogurt on top went perfectly with the deep flavor of the soup.  I see more carrot soup in our future.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 2/3 cups)
• 2 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred to loosen

Preparation

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Mix in carrots. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir cumin seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes; cool. Finely grind in spice mill.

Remove soup from heat. Puree in batches in blender until smooth. Return to same pan. Whisk in honey, lemon juice, and allspice. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle yogurt over; sprinkle generously with cumin.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Moroccan Carrot Soup