It seems I’ve been wrong all this time.

I’ve always called this “potage de crécy”, but I’ve recently found out that shouldn’t be the case. According to a friend on Facebook, if the dish were specifically from the town of Crécy (as in an AOC product), as opposed to featuring carrots and therefore named crécy, it could be called potage de crécy. But it isn’t; it’s just a carrot soup.

And what a glorious soup it is! The version pictured below isn’t vegetarian (it contains chicken stock and the carrots and onion were sautéed in butter), but you can easily make it vegan if you wish.

Carrots seem to be the “in” vegetable in 2013 in the same way that brussels sprouts exploded in popularity last year.

I have a few ideas percolating in my head at the moment based on restaurant meals in the past couple of months, like carrots stewed in olive oil for a few hours, with some thinly sliced garlic and a sprig of thyme; or braised in orange juice, cumin and olive oil, and transformed into confit.

I think they’re beautiful. I kind of adore them.

Potage Crécy

Adapted from this New York Times recipe.

If you’d like to make this vegan, omit the butter and increase the olive oil to 4 tablespoons. I also suggest using vegetable stock that doesn’t already have carrots present. Water is perfectly fine in place of stock, and will result in a lighter, fresher tasting soup with a “clean” flavor that doesn’t exist in stock-based soups.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
salt, to taste
3 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons uncooked long grain white rice (1)
white pepper, to taste
chopped parsley, mint or chervil
croutons (optional)

Heat butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and a pinch of salt. Cover partially and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant. Add the rice, water or stock and another pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and the soup is fragrant.

Puree soup either with a hand blender, a regular blender, or through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. Return to pot. Taste for salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, or until soup is warmed through.

Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl a sprinkle of herbs. Top with croutons, if desired.

(1) Yukon gold potatoes can be substituted instead.

Time: About 90 minutes, including prep.

This recipe is sized for 2 people.