CARROT GINGER SOUP
This is one
of my favorites. It has great flavor, can be frozen, and can be served hot or cold.
A note about fresh ginger:
Fresh ginger is that funny looking tuber that can look a bit like a terribly misshaped nose. The most convenient way
to store it is in the freezer. Just put it in a small zip lock bag and toss it in with the rest of the mystery foods
that you forgot to label. Then, when a recipe calls for fresh ginger, take out your frozen ginger and grate as much
as you need. Place it back into the bag and throw it back into the freezer. It keeps almost forever.
On with the recipe!
Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3
cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
2 T fresh ginger, grated
4 cups broth – vegetable broth for the vegetarian
and/or chicken broth for those qualifying as “other”
2 pounds of carrots, peeled and chopped or grated.
The smaller the pieces the shorter the cooking time
Juice of 3 large or 4 small oranges. I use orange juice concentrate,
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Zest of 1/2 orange
Salt and white pepper
Use a big, heavy pot. Heat oil over
medium heat and sauté the onion along with half the garlic and ginger for about 10 minutes.
Add the stock
and carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and partially cover. Cook until the carrots are tender. This
will take anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the carrot pieces.
Strain the soup ad put the
solids into a food processor or blender along with a splash of the liquid. Puree until smooth.
Return everything
to the pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
White Pepper?
Why the white pepper, you’d like to know. First, it’s good to use with this soup because, according to some
people with a more discerning nose than mine, it has a slight taste of ginger. Works well in carrot ginger soup.
Also, if you use black pepper it could look like you have little specks of dirt floating around in your soup. If you
don’t want to use white pepper use the black and add some minced parsley, which will hide the black specks.
Enjoy!