roasted carrot {soup}

When’s the last time you read a recipe for carrots and thought “Oh, I can’t wait to make that!” Carrots are just one of those vegetables that rarely merit our excitement. Like potatoes and onions that sit in a basket in a dark place, waiting to be used without fear of going bad, carrots share the lower drawer of my refrigerator with a few stalks of celery and maybe a bunch of parsley. They are there if I need them in an emergency, or else to play a minor role as a background note in a more complicated recipe.

But the carrots at the farmer’s market the other day were just so beautiful, that I couldn’t bear to banish them to the fridge for even one minute. And while I could have made a salad, or roasted them around a chicken, I decided they needed to shine on their own.

Since it’s been raining non stop for weeks now, soup seemed a good choice. While I’ve  made carrot soup in the past, in the summer, I wanted something heartier and more stick-to-your-ribs for a cold winter day. So instead of simply adding the carrots to a pot of simmering broth, I roasted them at high heat first.

Roasting carrots is the best thing to do when they are very sweet. The high heat means that the edges will begin to darken and caramelize, giving a depth and savoriness to them. And to give it a woody flavor, I added a few sprigs of freshly picked rosemary from our rainy terrace.

Leeks, sauteed until they began to fall apart, added a silky texture and earthiness.

Once the soup was done, a whizz of the immersion blender brought it all together and made it soup. Rather than give a final squeeze of lemon, for acidity, I decided on a bolder drizzle of balsamic vinegar. But my final decision was (in my humble opinion) brilliant. Instead of toasting croutons to add a crunchy and filling component to what was actually a pretty light soup, I decided to add little cubes of crispy crunchy pancetta along with a teaspoon or two of the hot pork fat.

Because, if I said it before I’ll say it again, everything tastes better with pancetta.

roasted carrot soup
(serves 4 to 6)

1 kilo / 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs of rosemary
1 tablespoon butter
1 large leek, white part only, rinsed and finely chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. white wine

1/2 cup cubed pancettta
Balsamic Vinegar*

Preheat oven to 200 C/ 400 F.

Place the sliced carrots in a bowl, and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and about a tsp of salt and toss well to coat.

Lay the carrots out into a single layer onto an oven sheet. Drizzle any extra oil from the bowl on top. Tuck the rosemary sprigs in between.

Roast the carrots until done and edges begin to turn dark, about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

In the meantime, put 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper. Cook until the leeks are completely softened, but do not let brown. About a half hour. Add the white wine and let bubble for a minute or so.

Take the carrots out and remove the rosemary branches (it’s ok if the leaves remain, just make sure you get the tough branches out)

Add the carrots to the pot, stir and add enough water to cover the carrot by about an inch and a half. Cover and let simmer for about a half hour. Let cool down a bit and, using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. You can do this in a food processor if you prefer. The soup is pretty thick, so if you’d like to thin it out a bit add a cup of broth or milk.

In the meantime heat a small frying pan and add the pancetta cubes. Cook until the pancetta is well browned and crispy.

To serve, reheat the soup and the pancetta bits. Spoon the soup into individual bowls, swirl a bit of balsamic vinegar on top, and top with bits of pancetta and as much of the pork fat as you can justify to yourself.

*Since the balsamic vinegar is used here as a last and final touch, you want to use the good stuff. You don’t have to break out the 25 year old tiny bottle, but please make sure you are using real, true aged balsamic and not the horrid stuff that is only colored with caramel and flavored with sugar. I am partial to La Vecchia Dispensa, which makes a wide range of balsamics, including some pretty affordable ones that are available here.