Francesco’s gentle, velvety carrot soup is given a touch of festive Venetian froth with a last minute splash of prosecco, the dry sparkling wine of the Veneto. “The minute you taste prosecco, you have Venice in your mouth,” Francesco likes to say.
Carrot soup
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (90 g) chopped onions
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound (500 g) carrots, peeled and coarsley chopped
- 1 1/2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 baking potato, peeled and diced
- 4 1/2 cups (1.125 L) vegetable stock or water
- 2 cups (500 ml) prosecco or other dry sparkling wine
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the onions in a heavy 3-quart (3-L) saucepan. Stir in the oil, cover, and cook over low heat about 10 minutes, until they are soft but have not taken on any color.
- Stir in the carrots, celery, and potato, cook for about a minute, then add the stock, 1 1/4 cups (310 ml) of the wine, and the bay leaves.
- Simmer, partly covered, for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender. Remove the bay leaves.
- Allow the mixture to cool briefly, then puree in a blender or food processor.You may have to do this in 2 batches.
- Strain the soup.
- To serve, reheat the soup and season it with salt and pepper.
- Spoon it into 6 warm soup plates.
- At the table, pour 1.5 to 2 tablespoons (20 to 30 ml) of chilled prosecco into each portion. The soup will froth up a bit.
