From the menu of … La Grotta Ristorante, 2637 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-231-1368, www.lagrottaatlanta.com
Q: (Recently) my wife Linda and I dined at La Grotta. My choice for an appetizer was their soup of the day — mushroom. However, when the waiter took our order, he informed us there had been a mistake and the soup was actually a carrot soup. (It was) my lucky day as I stayed with the soup request. It was superb. Could you please request the recipe as I have discovered a joy of cooking? Thank you.
— Don Sherwin, Fayetteville
A: La Grotta's general manager Christian Favalli provided us with this recipe, the creation of Antonio Abizanda, the restaurant's executive chef and partner. "Chef Antonio changes his soup specials nightly, so this soup gets run as a special at various times the whole year. It's also an extremely versatile recipe, as it can be served chilled in the summer with scallions and crab as a garnish, or in the winter hot with poached shrimp and dill as a garnish," Favalli said.
Abizanda was inspired to create his carrot soup after working in Bologna, a medieval town in the Emiglia-Romana region of northern Italy. “This region is well known for its hearty cuisine, and this particular soup recipe had its origins while he was working there. Antonio later took a recipe that was handed down to him and refined it to better reflect what he wanted to present on his own menu years later,” Favalli said. Buon appetito!
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of restaurant in the subject line.
La Grotta’s Creamy Carrot Soup
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 bay leaves
2 large sprigs of thyme
8 cups chicken stock
2 pounds carrots, coarsely chopped
3 cups heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Dill sprigs, for garnish
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, celery, bay leaves and thyme and saute 5 minutes or until onion begins to soften. Stir in chicken stock and carrots and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Add cream and simmer 3 minutes. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
Using an immersion blender, or in the jar of a blender, process soup until it is smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Garnish with dill, if desired.
Per serving: 425 calories (percent of calories from fat, 75), 14 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 40 grams fat (23 grams saturated), 134 milligrams cholesterol, 114 milligrams sodium.
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