Culinary Guides

This soup was a bright spot on a stormy spring night at the farm. It is creamy, lightly spiced, and comforting without being heavy, exactly right for those in-between days that cannot decide between warm and cold. Sweet carrots and a base of onion do most of the work, with red curry and a spoon of peanut butter rounding it out.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or butter or olive oil)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• Scant 1 tablespoon red curry paste (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 pounds carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups water, plus more to thin if needed
• Salt and pepper to taste

For serving

• Fresh lime juice
• Minced cilantro
• Peanuts

Directions

1. Chop the onion and carrots into even pieces so they cook evenly and blend smooth.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent and softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the red curry paste and peanut butter and cook about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the carrots and stir to coat.
4. Pour in the coconut milk and 2 cups water, stir, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, adding water if it gets too thick.
5. Off the heat, blend the soup smooth, in batches in a blender or with an immersion blender, then return it to the pot and thin with water if needed.
6. Season with salt and pepper, adding more curry paste or peanut butter to taste. Ladle into bowls and finish with lime juice, minced cilantro, and chopped peanuts.

Grower's tip: If carrot rust fly is a problem where you garden, float a lightweight row cover over the bed right after sowing and leave it in place. It keeps the flies from laying eggs at the base of the plants, so the roots come up clean instead of tunneled and scarred.

The soup keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days and freezes for up to 3 months; thin with a little water when reheating. Sweet potato or squash can join the carrots for a different spin.

The base of this soup is pure garden. Sow a long bed of carrots, keep a few onions on hand, and grow a pot of cilantro for the fresh finish on top.