carrot fennel soup

new york's union square greenmarket is overwhelming on saturdays. i almost got knocked over by several large, pushy women lunging for arugula, currants, and garlic scapes--which, by the way, seem to have exceeded their usual hype, ascending into the realms of being this season's trendy it-produce (dear god).
anyway, the greenmarket is worth the risk of being bowled over by hoards of eight-year-olds on skateboards (the new gangs of new york?) if for no other reason than the beautiful colors: piles of vibrant rainbow chard, jewel-toned beets, radishes, and carrots.
of course, i was overwhelmed (again) and bought way too many. leftovers, after making this soup, got poached in a buttery garlic sauce flecked with crushed red pepper and were then mixed into a pile of fried tofu, quinoa and sautéed collard greens, eaten cold for lunch at work.
but the soup is what i want to talk about, because it is so much more than the sum of its (10. ten!) parts. it's got a seriously complicated flavor, one that's worth working over in your mouth for a few moments, peeling the layers apart. the dollop of lemon-spiked yogurt adds a cool, silky contrast to the low, sweet carrot earthiness--and i should add here that it's worth hunting down really crisp, young carrots here, carrots you would be happy to eat on their own, because that's what's going to make your soup really bomb. look for ones with fresh, perky greens still attached--raggedy carrot tops are an indication of old, tired vegetables.
and--i know i always say this--but this is just as good cold as it is hot.

carrot and fennel soup
adapted from the new york times
makes 5-6 servings

• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced; fronds reserved
• 1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 4-5 cups vegetable stock
  
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt, preferably greek
• zest of one lemon (optional)
  

in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. add the fennel slices and cook, stirring, until softened. add the carrots and garlic and cook another minute. pour in 4 cups of stock and season with salt (you might not need much, depending on your stock--err on the side of moderation, and you can always adjust later). simmer, covered, until the carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.

remove the soup from the heat and stir in the orange juice and reserved fennel fronds (or save some fronds for garnishing). blend soup in batches (or use an immersion blender), being careful to not fill the blender more than halfway as hot liquids need room to expand. taste a final time for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as necessary. if soup is too thick for your liking, stir in additional cup of stock.

in a small bowl, combine greek yogurt and lemon zest. ladle soup into bowls and top each with a dollop of yogurt, or stir all of it in directly if you like. garnish with reserved fennel fronds. serve hot or cold (i had leftovers cold and they were terrific), with crusty bread on the side.