This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
08/15/2019 12:01 AMOkay, I am having more fun this summer than I have in at least two years.
Last year was fine, too, as was the summer before. But this year, I am pain-free, since I had my hip replacement in July.
A couple of Sundays ago I went to our boules party and saw people I rarely see except during the summer and during our Christmas party in early December. I am not on a team this year, but I was able to throw a couple of boules (the game itself is called petanque, while the stainless steel balls are called boules, but we all call the game boules, too). If they need a fill out a team for the next two games, I can actually play.
I am also having such a good time with my CSA (community supported agriculture) produce. Unlike most farms, which provide a set basket of goods each week, I can pick anything I want that is available at the farmstand. Last week I brought home about eight pounds of tomatoes, some green frying peppers, a big loaf of bread (made by the chef of the Oyster Club in Mystic), and almost three bags of baby carrots.
Now, let us talk about baby carrots.
The carrots I bought were about the length of my pinkie finger, but even thinner, and the carrot tops were still attached. They may be baby carrots but they are nothing like the baby carrots you buy at the supermarket. Those carrots are pared and thrown into a machine to make them look as if they are all the same size. Sure, they are really carrots, but the ones I bought are tiny, sweet, and fragrant thanks to the soil they grew in. I ate a lot them, then made a carrot soup I chilled and served it with a dollop of sour cream (or crème fraiche). I found the recipe online, but added a few fillips. Of course feel free to use big or smaller supermarket carrots. But only if you absolutely have to.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Chilled Baby Carrot Soup
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, sliced thin
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 pound of carrots, pared and diced (if they are really baby
carrots, just clean them of tops and soil)
1 carton of low-salt chicken stock or vegetable stock
½ teaspoon each of salt and yellow curry (I was out of Indian
curry so I added a little red chili paste)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (use less if you don’t like things
too spicy)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
In a heavy-bottomed stock pot, add oil over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook until just translucent, about 5 minutes. Add diced carrots and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. Add stock and cook until just boiling, then reduce heat and add salt and yellow curry (or a quarter teaspoon or less red or yellow chili paste and/or red pepper flakes). Cook on medium-low for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for at least an hour.
Using an immersion stick (which I do not have, I used my big Ninja), purée the soup. Put it back on the heat and add a can of coconut milk. Cook until hot and taste for seasoning. You can serve the soup hot, but I chill it and serve it cold with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche.