Cooking with Rena Lee

Tips: Soaking light colored fruit in lemon juice prevents it from turning brown when exposed to air.

Yield:4

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb	carrots, finely diced
1	medium onion, chopped
3	celery stalks, trimmed and diced
4 cups	vegetable stock
2	medium sized Fuji apples
2 tbsp	tomato paste
1	bay leaf
2 tsp	superfine sugar
1/4	large lemon
	salt and pepper
	celery leaves, washed and shredded, to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Place the prepared carrots, onion and celery in a large saucepan and add the fresh vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel, core, and dice 2 of the apples. Add the pieces of the apple, tomato paste, bay leaf, and superfine sugar to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, half cover the pan, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
Meanwhile, wash, core and cut the remaining apple into thin slices, leaving on the skin. Place the apple slices in a small saucepan and squeeze in the lemon juice. Heat gently and simmer for 1-2 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.
Place the carrot and apple mixture in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively, press the mixture through a strainer with the back of a wooden spoon, until smooth.
Gently reheat the soup if necessary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and serve topped with the reserved apple slices and shredded celery leaves.