Dana Cowin’s Creamy Carrot Soup with Pine Nut – Caper Topping
In an update on our local celebrity status this week, 10th Avenue Tea squeaked past us in 
the Windy City Live & Peapod’s “next best” contest to take a spot in the final 3, and Old Arthur’s BBQ Sauce were crowned overall winners in the grand finale. Thank you to all of our avid supporters who joined us in the studio, it was such a fun few weeks.
To kick off our month long series of COOKGIRL Cookbook Author/Chef recipes as part of Women’s History Month we put the spotlight on Dana Cowin. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine for 21 years, Dana Cowin is the new chief creative officer of Chefs Club International.
Occasionally a recipe jumps off the page as simple, wholesome and elegant. I thumbed my way through Dana’s cookbook “Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen” and quickly found my recipe – “Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup With Pine Nut-Caper Topping.” To be clear, in order to adapt this recipe for the slow cooker the carrots are not roasted but simply tossed in the olive oil and briefly sauteéd before slow cooking.
The finished carrot soup is sweet and carroty and the savory, nutty and fresh topping balances it perfectly. It appeals so much to me as a recipe because I could equally consume large bowls of it myself for a simple dinner but also serve it as a light appetizer or lunch with friends.
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups / 1 large yellow onion, chopped into large 1"dice
- 2 tsp / 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs carrots, chopped into large 1" dice
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp / 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp capers, rinsed and dried
- 1 cup, loosely packed, parsley leaf, chopped
- Kosher salt
- heat the oil over a medium heat in a large skillet
- add the onion, garlic and carrot to the oil and sauté for 2 minutes stirring continuously
- transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker
- pour in the broth, water and add salt and pepper
- stir, cover and cook on LOW: 8 hours or HIGH: 3-4
- once cooked, purée the soup using an immersion blender and serve in bowls with a generous swirl of the pine nut - caper topping
- combine the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir
- skip the sauté step and add all the soup ingredients to the slow cooker
- in a pinch you can chop the topping ingredients in a small blender therefore skipping the step of chopping the pine nuts and parsley. the outcome will be a creamier style topping
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try”
-Unknown
