Here's another recipe I developed for Robyn's blog. Enjoy! I promise to post some new things in coming weeks :)
First, a note on roasting. Roasting is a wonderful technique of cooking at high temperatures. You can roast vegetables, poultry and even fruit. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in your food and frees you to do other kitchen tasks while the food sits in the 450 degree oven. One of the keys in roasting is to make sure not to pile your food on top of each other. Roast your vegetables in one layer, and make sure that all pieces are of the same size: that way, it will all cook evenly.
Ingredients (makes about 5 cups)
7 large carrots, peeled, cut into 2" pieces
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (less or more depending on your tolerance for heat)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
garnish: fresh thyme, cream (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. In a bowl drizzle carrots with olive oil and season with salt & pepper, and cayenne. Mix well.
3. Transfer the carrots onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender. They will turn a nice golden-brown color.
4. Let the carrots cool a bit, then add them to a blender and puree with chicken stock and milk. [Note, to make this soup vegetarian, use vegetable stock or water instead of chicken stock.]
5. Pour the soup into a stockpot and reheat. To serve, garnish with fresh thyme and a bit of cream.
Variations: you can use this recipe with sweet potatoes, winter squash, red peppers, or combination of the above. Try drizzling a bit of olive oil or good balsamic vinegar instead of the cream if you are watching your calories.