Carrot Dill Soup

I love fresh dill. I was introduced to the herb in freshman year by my roommate Jade, and have since fallen in love with serving it with fish with lemon juice squirted on top, chopping it up in salad or even making a mean tzatziki. The problem with dill, however, is it always comes in big bunches, but recipes always call for just a tablespoon here or a tablespoon there. Here is one of many ways that you can get rid of some of that dill, and of course, who does not like yet another soup recipe in the dead of winter?

Molly of Orangette has her own recipe for carrot soup, except her's is carrot fennel. In her entry, she talks about how she had made it upon her arrival to Paris. Her soup is a little more complicating--and probably a lot more delicious, we're talking about fennel and also orange juice here--than mine, but you can still conjure up Paris with the latter by serving it with a fresh baguette and your favourite soft cheese (I chose Camembert.)

Carrot Dill Soup
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

• 454 g (1 lb) carrots, sliced
• 10 mL (2 tsp) vegetable oil
• 10 mL (2 tsp) minced garlic
• 250 mL (1 cup) chopped onion
• 875 mL (3½ cups) chicken stock*
• 185 mL (¾ cup) milk (or cream, if you're feeling like something particularly rich/artery clogging--It's ok to use part milk, part cream too.)
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) chopped fresh dill
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) chopped fresh chives**

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add carrots and cook just until tender. Drain.
2. While the carrots are cooking, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cooked carrots, and pour in chicken stock. Turn heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes to blend flavours.
3. Purée the carrot mixture using a hand blender, then stir in milk, dill and chives. Cook just until heated through, and serve (preferably with a baguette and cheese).

*Use vegetable stock to make this dish vegetarian!
**I didn't have any chives, so I just used a full ¼ cup of dill.