Heat oil over medium low heat in heavy Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic, stir, add salt, pepper, sugar, cumin and coriander, and cook slowly 1015 minutes until onions are translucent. Add carrots, rice, bay leaf and stock or water and cook 30 minutes, or until rice is puffed up and carrots can be crushed against side of pot with wooden spoon. Pass through food mill into clean pot. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Bring back to a simmer, then serve garnished with crispy shallots.

Heat oil to 360 degrees. Separate the shallot slices into rings and place in medium bowl. Sprinkle flour over and toss lightly to coat evenly. Working with a small handful at a time, sprinkle shallots over oil and stir gently. Fry until golden brown, 13 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Repeat with remaining shallots, salting while still warm. Use as garnish for Spiced Carrot Soup.

Yield: Six servings as garnish

All of these pureed soups are delicious hot and delicious cold. Yields are high to allow for leftovers! Soups will be thicker when cold so thin if desired with milk, cream, stock or water.

These recipes showcase our friends the food mill (which purees and separates) and immersion blender (purees in the pot, no muss, no fuss, no bother). Great tools for purees.

Any of these pureed soups lend themselves to other garnish:

a dollop of crema, creme fraiche or sour cream

a sprinkling of herbs

a spoonful of red or green salsa (crunchy texture contrast)

freshly fried tortilla chips floating on top

several of the above!