The story of a baby rattle in the guise of a soft orange carrot with a silly face, and a recipe for Carrot Soup....
Our friends, Arlene and Carlos are grandparents for the first time. Their daughter Becca, and son-in-law, Dan, gave birth to baby Henry. Becca, Dan, and Henry live in our Park Slope neighborhood. Now that Becca has gone back to work, Arlene and Carlos baby-sit Henry, much to their delight, on Mondays and Thursdays. So, now I frequently get to visit with my friends, and enjoy baby Henry. I have been knighted Auntie Barbara!
On my way to make a recent visit, I stopped into a local toy store, Norman and Jules, to buy something special for Henry. The sales person kindly directed me to the infant section, where there appeared to be a lot of toys to hang from a baby stroller, or from the frames of gym mats. I figured there was enough of those frou frou type of toys already. Did you ever notice that instead of using a plain binky (pacifier), there are now even soft toys hanging from the end of binkies hanging from babies' mouths? Overkill in the parenting department, I say. So the toy I settled upon was simple and colorful, and would be useful for gumming, when Henry started teething. And the rattle aspect lent itself to his discovering his hands, how they worked, and learning what to do with them. The toy I chose, was a soft bright orange carrot, with a cute, yet subtle, stitched face on it, and a sort of brown crown or hat. What a silly toy, I thought. But it called to me, and I made my purchase. The sales lady wrapped it so beautifully, that, in a way, it would be a shame for my friends to unwrap the gift for Henry. The lime green tissue paper inside the paper bag, and the purple ribbon tying the handles of the bag, contrasted so beautifully with the soft bright orange carrot. The mysterious carrot that also rattled when you shook it.
When I complimented the sales lady on the beauty of the wrapping, she noted that this present was perfect because it beautifully matched my canvas Park Slope Food Coop shopping bag, with it's carrot motif. At this point, cooking a carrot soup inspired by the baby toy, had not entered my mind.
Off I went, to see my friends, and visit baby Henry, who had grown so much since I had last seen him. Babies change so much and so rapidly in their first year of life, that their changes are amazing to see. Henry was much heftier than when last I visited, was developing a distinct personality, and smiled at the sound of my voice. It is a real pleasure to hold him.
Henry and the mysterious carrot.
Getting down to it. Making the Carrot Soup....
So you would think that I decided to make a carrot soup, because I was inspired by Henry and his mysterious carrot. But, that is not really the case. I had recently made a Cheese Souffle, and felt like I needed a vegetable side dish to complement this savory egg dish. I was looking inside the vegetable bins in my refrigerator and spotted not one, but two full bags of carrots, than had been woefully neglected. I must admit that I am guilty of being carrot lazy, not wanting to take the time to wash and clean a carrot. Raw carrots are usually one of Dan's favorite veggies, and he will usually clean and eat two carrots daily. He is very good about eating vegetables first, to get them in, before moving on to the stuff he really enjoys. But recently, the carrots had been neglected and unused. So I decided to make this recipe for carrot soup. It really qualifies as an easy peasy recipe. I sautéed some sliced onions in butter, added salt, the carrots, and rice, and sautéed the combined ingredients a bit longer. Then I added the cold water, and brought the pot to a boil. When a boil was achieved, I lowered the temperature so the contents of my soup pot would simmer for 30 minutes. I then let it cool a bit. I added the soup in batches to my Vitamix, added a cup of low fat yogurt to each batch, and whizzed the soup into a puree. I think that the yogurt added a lot of flavor, and was a healthier choice than the other suggested options which included cream, or whipped cream, or mascarpone. There was so much soup, that I stored some in the freezer for future use. The rest was stored in the fridge to be enjoyed over the next few days. Dear reader, I hope you will try making this soup too, and that you will enjoy it!
And what would a carrot soup recipe be, without sharing the song playing inside my head while cooking this recipe....
When I was growing up, my mom had the original cast album to the show, "The Fantastics." It became the longest running off-broadway show that ever was, and played in the same Greenwich Village venue for what seemed like forever, until it finally closed, signifying an end of an era. Nowadays, it is back, playing at the Jerry Orbach theater on Broadway. This is significant, as Jerry Orbach played the character of El Gallo in the original production. It is a very whimsical love story, with some psychological overtones, as the parents who are neighbors, use reverse psychology in order to trick their children into falling in love. My favorite songs are "Try to Remember," "Soon It's Gonna Rain," and "They Were You." The song here, "Plant a Radish" was running through my head as I prepared this carrot soup recipe. It has one verse especially relating to carrots, so I have printed the verse in bold face below. I especially like the humor of the song. It reflects the comic side of life. The link to the song will lead you to a YouTube video, so you may see and hear the song being performed.
Plant a Radish, a Song from the Broadway Musical, The Fantastics
Plant a radish.
Get a radish.
Never any doubt.
That's why I love vegetables;
You know what you're about!
Plant a turnip.
Get a turnip.
Maybe you'll get two.
That's why I love vegetables;
You know that they'll come through!
They're dependable!
They're befriendable!
They're the best pal a parent's ever known!
While with children,
It's bewilderin'.
You don't know until the seed is nearly grown
Just what you've sown.
So
Plant a carrot,
Get a carrot,
Not a Brussels sprout.
That's why I love vegetables.
You know what you're about!
Life is merry,
If it's very
Vegetarian!
A man who plants a garden
Is a very happy man!
Plant a beanstalk.
Get a beanstalk.
Just the same as Jack.
Then if you don't like it,
You can always take it back!
But if your issue
Doesn't kiss you,
Then I wish you luck.
For once you've planted children,
You're absolutely stuck!
Every turnip green!
Every kidney bean!
Every plant grows according to the plot!
While with progeny,
It's hodge-podgenee.
For as soon as you think you know what kind you've got,
It's what they're not!
So
Plant a cabbage.
Get a cabbage.
Not a sauerkraut!
That's why I love vegetables.
You know what you're about!
Life is merry
If it's very
Vegetarian.
A man who plants a garden
Is a very happy man!
A vegitari-
Very merry
Vegetarian!
Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ½ stick butter
- 2 onions sliced
- 1 thyme sprig
- 2-½ pounds carrots peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)
- salt - season to taste
- ¼ cup basmati rice
- 6 cups cold water
- 2-3 cups of plain yogurt I used low-fat yogurt
Instructions
-
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot.
-
Add the sliced onions and sprig of thyme, and cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 10 minutes.
-
Add the peeled and sliced carrots, as well as the rice, into the pot with the onions.
-
Season with salt.
-
Cook for 5 minutes in order to build flavor.
-
Add the cold water, and bring to a boil, and then lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
-
Season with salt to taste, and puree in batches. The soup will be bland if you skip this step, or do not check your seasoning to see if it is sufficient.
-
I added one cup of low fat yogurt to each batch of soup I pureed.
-
For a variation, you may garnish your soup. Heat some clarified butter or olive oil, and sizzle a spoonful of cumin seeds in it, and spoon this over the soup as a garnish.
