Soup Opus (Wherein An Anagram Leads To Flavor Country)

I don’t know about you guys, but around here it is finally starting to get cold enough to need a jacket, turn on the heater, and keep my pants mostly on while I masturbate. It’s also getting cold enough for reasonably hearty fare. Specifically: soups and chowders. That having been said, eat this:

Carrot And Stout Soup

The Ingredients:
12 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
4 lbs Medium Sized Carrots (cut into 1 inch pieces)
8 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
2 Cups Guinness (Though any stout will do)
4 Cups Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup Sugar
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
16 Star Anise Pods

The Method:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepot. Add the carrots and cook over medium-low heat, frequently stirring until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Increase the heat to high, add stock, stout, cream, sugar, and a pinch of salt and cracked pepper. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce the heat to a light simmer; cover with foil and cook until carrots are very tender, about 50 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and add the star anise; cover and let infuse for 20 minutes.

5. Discard the star anise. Puree the soup in a blender until nice and smooth.

6. Season and serve (I like it with a nice crust of brown bread on the side).

This makes an INSANE amount of soup though, so you may want to halve the recipe. As a decent change of pace, you may want to try using some red bell peppers in lieu of/conjunction with the carrots. A decent squash or maybe even a pumpkin would probably do this bad boy wonders as well.