Soup #4/Moroccan Carrot Soup

I've decided to spice up this 52 Soup business and start a tradition of sorts. Each family member, in his or her birthday week, gets to choose the soup of the week! The first birthday of the year belongs to my dear, sweet mother. This was her birthday soup selection. 

You will need: 
1/4 stick of butter
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth (I got to use my homemade broth!)
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp allspice
Oh, and a blender or hand mixer

Directions: 
In a large soup pot, melt the butter and add the chopped onion. Saute for about 2 minutes, until the onion starts to become clear. Add the carrots and saute for another 5 minutes or so, or until it all starts to smell yummy and delicious. Add the vegetable broth and cover the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat an allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the carrots are soft. 

Now you want to puree the soup mixture. If you're using a blender, separate the soup in parts and blend until smooth. I used a hand blender. Just remove the soup from heat and immerse the blender into the soup and blend until you are at the desired consistency. Mine wasn't completely smooth, but it was pureed enough (the hand bender is so much easier to clean!). 

Once you've pureed the soup, return it to heat and stir in the honey, lemon juice and all spice. Honestly, I didn't measure these three out exactly, but added them to taste. Continue to heat until it's even.  Ladle into small bowls. We used some fried onions to garnish.  The original recipe also suggested spooning plain yogurt on top and sprinkling with cumin. 

The Verdict: Scrumptious! We really liked this soup, rich in sweet carrot-y flavor. It's definitely not a main course kind of soup though, but pairs really nicely as a side dish or appetizer. We both really liked the flavor of the onions that garnished it, but we decided not to try the yogurt and cumin topping, it just didn't seem to need the extra flavor. We were happy with it just the way it was, and enjoyed it along side my first homemade whole chicken and potatoes (that's a whole other post!). 

What we'd do differently: We can't really think of anything we'd do differently with this soup, it's very tasty and has a unique sweet and savory sort of flavor to it. E says he'd like to try it again, but chilled, and maybe with a little bit more lemon, but I think it's perfect the way it is!

4 down and 48 to go - Hope you've all had a happy January. And Happy Birthday to my Mama!

Bon Apetit!

XO