summer refresher

After yesterday’s long “birthday” post, I thought it would be nice to post a quick and easy soup for today. Since it’s still scorching here in the desert, I serve this soup at room temperature rather than hot. The avocado just seems to make it more “cool” and summery. If you haven’t already commented on yesterday’s post, be sure and do so to be in the running for the grand prize for a baker’s dozen of fabulous cookbooks. You can easily make this a vegetarian soup, just use all water instead of chicken broth. The carrot and avocado flavors actually come through better that way.  I’m just not a huge carrot fan, so I prefer the broth to tone that flavor down a little.

Carrot and Avocado Soup

2 pounds carrots
1 pound potatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 avocados, cut in half and pitted, divided

Peel carrots and potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces, and place in a large soup pot. Add garlic, broth, water, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Puree soup in batches in a blender. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of 2 of the avocados and place in a blender, puree until smooth. Taste soup and season with salt and pepper. Thin with more water for desired consistency. Serve soup as is or return soup to pot and heat lightly, if desired.

Use a table knife to dice the remaining avocado halves directly in the peel/shell.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the diced avocado, use a spoon to scoop out the pieces, and carefully drop them on top of each soup bowl. Give each portion a grind of black pepper and serve.

Serves 6