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French tarragon is one of my favourite herbs – although if pushed I could probably make a good case for most herbs being my favourite. In its favour, tarragon has lovely elegant leaves – long and narrow with a gently warming, anise flavour. Those leaves, finely chopped and added to egg mayonnaise, make a sandwich that’s just a bit more sophisticated.
Tarragon plants disappear underground in winter, so with the days getting shorter and cooler, the tarragon season is coming to an end. My plants have survived some really cold and wet winters over the last few years, but I always like to have a ‘back up’ plant in a pot. This back up is kept dry and cosy in the greenhouse through the coldest months, just in case the outdoor ones don’t reappear in the spring.
And while there are still fresh leaves to be used, I was inspired by this post at 101 cookbooks to have a go at making some tarragon oil. Admittedly, mine was just a rough adaptation of the original recipe, but the result was really good. I blended the fresh tarragon leaves with oil and some lime juice to get a zingy and fragrant green mix. Then I just needed a good way to use the tarragon oil.
Being the first day of October, a bowl of soup seems like a good idea. So here you have it – carrot and tarragon soup, a lovely and warming mixture of summer and autumn flavours. Do you have a favourite autumn soup?
Carrot & Tarragon Soup
2 tbsp plus ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1l vegetable stock
½ cup fresh French tarragon leaves
juice of ½ lime
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook gently for about 5 minutes, so that the onion starts to soften but not brown. Add the carrots, sweet potato and chilli and stir so that everything is coated in oil. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes – until the vegetables are tender.
While the vegetables are cooking, blitz the tarragon leaves, ¼ cup olive oil and lime juice with a hand blender until the leaves are finely chopped.
Blend the soup in batches in a liquidiser, or with a hand blender. Add the tarragon oil and stir through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can also add more stock at this stage to adjust the consistency of the soup if you prefer it thinner.
This makes enough soup for four good helpings – serve with some good crusty bread for a warming autumn lunch.
gardenfreshtomatoes said:
Another wonderful soup this morning!
Our tarragon has had a good year, too…this might just be on the table for luch tomorrow!
thegardendeli said:
I had it for lunch today – hope you enjoy it!
Promenade Claire said:
Tarragon is a wonderful herb, I like it chopped up with mushrooms, and I love the idea of making your own flavoured oil. It seems we are both is soupy mood 🙂
thegardendeli said:
Soup just seems right at this time of year. Do you think mushroom and tarragon soup might work too?
Promenade Claire said:
I’m sure it would. I like to saute mushrooms with tarragon, you can add some creme fraiche and mix in with pasta
thegardendeli said:
Now that sounds really good!
Cathy said:
I have to admit I have never had tarragon (as afr as I know!). I’ll have to make a note to try growing it next year. I love to make pumpkin soup in the autumn, but only add dried coriander spice and pepper. What else does tarragon go with?
thegardendeli said:
Pumpkin soup is another of my favourites, and one that the whole family will eat without any complaints! As Claire says, tarragon is good with mushrooms, and I like it with potatoes too. Its one of the herbs in fines herbes (with parsley, chervil and chives) – a good combination to add to an omlette.
Cathy said:
Thanks!
elaine said:
My tarragon has almost finished producing now – I’d better be quick and get the last of the leaves before they disappear altogether if I want to make this soup
thegardendeli said:
My plants had a late growth spurt this year, but are slowing down now!
I tried to leave a comment on your runner bean post Elaine, but the software blocked it – and it wasn’t a rude comment, honestly! Your harvest looks really good and healthy – it was a good idea to grow them in pots, one I may well pinch for next year…
Liz said:
Sounds delicious – my tarragon is just reaching harvestable size so perfect timing. I do like the sound of that oil particularly as I have lots of limes from mums glut at the moment.
thegardendeli said:
The original recipe for the oil has parsley in as well as tarragon – may be a use for some of your giant parsley plants!
madcrowherbals said:
I’m trying that. I’m almost embarrassed to say that I’ve never cooked with Tarragon. Long past time to remedy that.
Michael
thegardendeli said:
It’s a lovely herb, quite a distinct flavour. Hope you enjoy it!
Urvashi Roe said:
I love this combination. Such a distinctive flavour as you say. Are you on twitter btw?
thegardendeli said:
I’ve signed up for a twitter account, but so far haven’t been brave enough to use it. While I work up the courage, I’m just following some interesting folk (you’re on the list!).
PJ Girl said:
Perfect recipe for a midweek meal as I have some French Tarragon and an abundance of carrots… so great timing 🙂 It looks so Autumny too x
thegardendeli said:
It’s a good warming soup with lots of flavour – perfect for autumn days, especially foggy, cold ones like today!