Sunny day, sunny food

Yesterday was another CSA delivery day for me, and it was definitely my favorite one I have gotten so far. Blueberries, raspberries, apricots, kale, lettuce, sage, shelling peas, carrots, rainier cherries, and french breakfast radishes. I'm practically rolling in summer right now.

The shelling peas went first. I think the last time I had homegrown shelling peas was when I was about 5 years old. I remember standing on a chair at the kitchen sink, helping my mother wash them and pop them out of their pods. Eating them out of the colander I thought they were the best things I had ever tasted. Unless you have access to a nearby farm or have a friend who grows them, peas like that are hard to come across. Savoring every bite, I ate half of them as I shelled them, and the rest I steamed lightly and tossed with butter, sage, and reduced cream. The apricots were used up in an easy clafoutis after dinner.

Now, for the carrots. I had two bunches in my fridge already, along with some dill, so I made a light soup of of them, being careful to hold onto that bright sunny, summer flavor. The citrus-y flavors of the orange juice and coriander are not overwhelmed by the strong aroma of dill, but the carrots are so fresh and bright that they are the real star. The soup turned out to be so good that I had to eat my whole bowl before I was able to snap a picture, so this is all you get:



Carrot-Dill Soup

Oil
1/2 medium onion, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped small
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp freshly ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
3 bunches fresh, crisp carrots
1 small bunch dill, finely chopped
1/2-3/4 cup fresh orange juice

Heat oil on medium heat in a large saucepot or dutch oven. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened and lightly browned. Add cumin, coriander, pepper and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or so until the carrots are tender and easy to mash, but not mushy. Stir in dill and remove from heat.

At this point, if you have an immersion blender blend the soup in the pot until you reach the consistency you desire. I prefer mine to be a mix of smooth and chunky so that it has some texture, but you can blend until completely smooth if you wish. Then add the orange juice, tasting it to make sure it's not too strongly orange-y before adding the full amount.

If you don't have an immersion blender add the smaller amount of orange juice, puree in batches in your food processor, and if it doesn't taste orange-y enough for you put the pureed soup back into one container and add the rest of the juice.

xoxo

me