Cornucopia of carrots

Seduced by abundance at the farmers' market on Sunday, I bought a big bag of new seasons carrots. Bunches of coriander lay nearby, and I took one, remembering a special recipe: carrot and coriander soup.

I haven't made this special soup for a year or two. Somehow I never had the right ingredients at the same time. But now, on the wet Sunday afternoon, was the perfect time.

Or so I thought. I searched high and low, through recipe books and folders, but the recipe was nowhere to be found. Never mind, I'll do it from memory, I decided. A bit of onion, lots of chopped carrots, sautee and cook in stock, and at the end add a big bunch of cooked coriander.

At the last minute, I remembered a forgotten ingredient: a little swirl of cream at the end. I didn't have any cream, but I added a scoop of herb quark, a new food that I'm enjoying. The soup was perfect: tasty and textured, filling and warming.

It was a cornucopia of carrots that I'd brought home. I remembered another old favourite: carrot and coconut salad. So I set to work, grating up more carrots, and adding a couple of handfuls of dessicated coconut. I can't recall where I learned this trick, but it's a magic combination. The coconut stops the carrot from turning brown, and it also adds texture. With a handful of chopped parsley (also bought from from the market), I had what I needed.

With a good stir, and a dash of olive oil, the carrot salad was ready to put into the fridge, where it will keep for days, and will become tastier with time.
Will I turn orange from imbibing so many carrots? Will my eyes be able to see in the dark? I'll let you know.