It’s been over ten years since we’ve had to set our clock back. Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time. I did enjoy the extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning, but it’s going to take me a while to get used to it getting dark so early. To top things off a cold front moved in over the weekend. That put me in the mood for some nice solar soup.
I adapted this recipe from one on epicurious.com. I substituted olive oil for the butter and vegetable broth for the chicken broth to make it vegan.
Solar Carrot Soup with Star Anise
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 whole star anise, divided
1 small bay leaf
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inc chunks
2 cups vegetable broth
Preparation.
Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, thyme, 1 star anise, bay leaf, and garlic. Sauté until onions soften. Add carrots and broth. Cover and transfer pot to Sun Oven. Cook until carrots are very tender, about 1 hour.
Remove pot from Sun Oven. Discard thyme sprigs, star anise, and bay leaf. Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until very smooth. Return to same pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat before continuing.) Finely grind remaining star anise in a spice mill. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with ground star anise.
Makes 4 servings.
