Carrot Soup & Jicama Salad

I love the monastery kitchen cookbooks & often pair a soup & a salad from those respective books. The food is delicious and the books have cool illustrations & great little stories & quotes. You should own them. Last month, we had the carrot potage & the mixed jicama salad, both lovely. Sourdough rolls completed the meal. These are my adaptations:

Carrot Potage
10 carrots
1 potato
1 onion
8 c. chicken stock
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. sugar
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Peel & slice carrots, potato, & onion. Put in a soup pot with stock, tomato paste, butter, & sugar. Cover & cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat about an hour. Blend with an immersion blender or carefully, in small batches, in a regular blender. If you don't have an immersion blender, do yourself a favor and get one. They're wonderful. Season soup and add cream. Heat through. Garnish with parsley when serving. Serves 6.

Mixed Jicama Salad
About 1 lb. jicama, peeled & cut into matchsticks
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, & cut into matchsticks
2 green peppers, cut into matchsticks
2 apples, peeled & cut into matchsticks
1 tbsp. lemon juice
7 mint leaves, cut in chiffonade
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. cider vinegar
Salt & pepper

Toss all ingredients up to mint gently in a large salad bowl. Chill 1-2 hours. Just before serving, toss in mint. Whisk
olive oil with 2 tsp. lemon juice, cider vinegar, salt, & pepper until slightly thickened. Toss with salad, making sure everything is nicely coated.