My friend Chelsea made me lunch last week. One of the things she served was a delicious, gingery carrot soup. It was so good that I was inspired to make my own, particularly since there have been such lovely new carrots at the farmers markets lately.
The bright orange color is gorgeous and the soup is both sweet and savory with a pleasant little zing of spice from the ginger. It's also high in beta carotene and all sorts of good vitamins.
The recipe below is from the Williams Sonoma Soup cookbook which I use often.
Carrrot Soup With Orange & Ginger Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
* 3 tbsps olive oil * 2 leeks, including tender green parts, thinly sliced * 6 carrots (about 1 lb total weight), peeled and thinly sliced * 1 red potato, about 1/2 lb, peeled and coarsely diced * 1 1/2 tsps fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated * 5 cups vegetable stock * 1/2 cup fresh orange juice * 2 tsps grated orange zest * Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper * Thin orange slices and/or sprigs of fresh mint for garnish
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute until just slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, potato, and ginger and saute until the vegetables are just softened, about 5 minutes longer.
2. Add the stock, cover partially and simmer until the vegetables are completely softened, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor, leaving some texture and return to the pan. OR use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pan (much easier!)
4. Return the soup to medium heat and stir in the orange juice and zest. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
5. Ladle into bowls and serve, garnish with a spring of mint and an orange slice.
9 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I love your blog! This soup sounds delicious...I'm salivating. I have a question on the immersion blender. I see the value of having one especially for ease sake. However, every morning I make myself a protein shake in a blender. I'm ready to buy a new blender and am thinking that I should get both -- immersion and regular blender. And if regular blender I'm more partial to the European brands, shapes and features. What are your thoughts, recommendations? Karen
Hi Karen, thanks! I am sadly not an expert at all on blender brands and types (though I do think wider ones are easier to deal with if you need to stir things while blending.
But I definitely think you should get an immersion blender! They are sooooo useful and easy. They make tomato sauce, applesauce and all sorts of soups soooo much easier. Being able to blend things to the desired consistency without having to pour them (while dangerously hot) into a blender or cuisinart is a huge bonus. Plus you don't have to wash the blender or cuisinart which I consider to be another huge plus. And they're pretty cheap, too. I say go for it - get both!
another excellent recommendation from this wonderful blog! we made this soup last night and it was soooo delicious. you're right, it is hard to pour hot soup into a cuisinart, ESPECIALLY if the cuisinart bowl is not snapped in all the way and hot liquid pours down your counter. as i'm sopping up carrot water, i'm thinking, this soup better be freakin' good... and it was! well worth the mess. thanks eve-y!!!! love your clumsy friends, jojo & benny j
Dear Anonymous - about the immersion blender. Try to find one at a garage sale or even a thrift shop. It's not something you use often, but boy when you use it, you love it. Nothing blends a soup faster. But most importantly you blend it right in the pot and no need to transfer batches to the blender of hot soup. And if you're like me, some day you'll forget the lid to the blender and regret not buying an immersion blender.
Mine is Braun, got it at a garage sale at least 15 years ago and it still works like a charm. There's nothing really that can break on it so with good care it will last a lifetime.
My friend Chelsea made me lunch last week. One of the things she served was a delicious, gingery carrot soup. It was so good that I was inspired to make my own, particularly since there have been such lovely new carrots at the farmers markets lately.
The bright orange color is gorgeous and the soup is both sweet and savory with a pleasant little zing of spice from the ginger. It's also high in beta carotene and all sorts of good vitamins.
The recipe below is from the Williams Sonoma Soup cookbook which I use often.
Carrrot Soup With Orange & Ginger Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
* 3 tbsps olive oil * 2 leeks, including tender green parts, thinly sliced * 6 carrots (about 1 lb total weight), peeled and thinly sliced * 1 red potato, about 1/2 lb, peeled and coarsely diced * 1 1/2 tsps fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated * 5 cups vegetable stock * 1/2 cup fresh orange juice * 2 tsps grated orange zest * Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper * Thin orange slices and/or sprigs of fresh mint for garnish
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute until just slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, potato, and ginger and saute until the vegetables are just softened, about 5 minutes longer.
2. Add the stock, cover partially and simmer until the vegetables are completely softened, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor, leaving some texture and return to the pan. OR use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pan (much easier!)
4. Return the soup to medium heat and stir in the orange juice and zest. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
5. Ladle into bowls and serve, garnish with a spring of mint and an orange slice.
9 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I love your blog! This soup sounds delicious...I'm salivating. I have a question on the immersion blender. I see the value of having one especially for ease sake. However, every morning I make myself a protein shake in a blender. I'm ready to buy a new blender and am thinking that I should get both -- immersion and regular blender. And if regular blender I'm more partial to the European brands, shapes and features. What are your thoughts, recommendations? Karen
Hi Karen, thanks! I am sadly not an expert at all on blender brands and types (though I do think wider ones are easier to deal with if you need to stir things while blending.
But I definitely think you should get an immersion blender! They are sooooo useful and easy. They make tomato sauce, applesauce and all sorts of soups soooo much easier. Being able to blend things to the desired consistency without having to pour them (while dangerously hot) into a blender or cuisinart is a huge bonus. Plus you don't have to wash the blender or cuisinart which I consider to be another huge plus. And they're pretty cheap, too. I say go for it - get both!
another excellent recommendation from this wonderful blog! we made this soup last night and it was soooo delicious. you're right, it is hard to pour hot soup into a cuisinart, ESPECIALLY if the cuisinart bowl is not snapped in all the way and hot liquid pours down your counter. as i'm sopping up carrot water, i'm thinking, this soup better be freakin' good... and it was! well worth the mess. thanks eve-y!!!! love your clumsy friends, jojo & benny j
Dear Anonymous - about the immersion blender. Try to find one at a garage sale or even a thrift shop. It's not something you use often, but boy when you use it, you love it. Nothing blends a soup faster. But most importantly you blend it right in the pot and no need to transfer batches to the blender of hot soup. And if you're like me, some day you'll forget the lid to the blender and regret not buying an immersion blender.
Mine is Braun, got it at a garage sale at least 15 years ago and it still works like a charm. There's nothing really that can break on it so with good care it will last a lifetime.
9 comments:
I love your blog! This soup sounds delicious...I'm salivating. I have a question on the immersion blender. I see the value of having one especially for ease sake. However, every morning I make myself a protein shake in a blender. I'm ready to buy a new blender and am thinking that I should get both -- immersion and regular blender. And if regular blender I'm more partial to the European brands, shapes and features. What are your thoughts, recommendations? Karen
Hi Karen,
thanks!
I am sadly not an expert at all on blender brands and types (though I do think wider ones are easier to deal with if you need to stir things while blending.
But I definitely think you should get an immersion blender! They are sooooo useful and easy. They make tomato sauce, applesauce and all sorts of soups soooo much easier. Being able to blend things to the desired consistency without having to pour them (while dangerously hot) into a blender or cuisinart is a huge bonus. Plus you don't have to wash the blender or cuisinart which I consider to be another huge plus. And they're pretty cheap, too. I say go for it - get both!
another excellent recommendation from this wonderful blog!
we made this soup last night and it was soooo delicious.
you're right, it is hard to pour hot soup into a cuisinart, ESPECIALLY if the cuisinart bowl is not snapped in all the way and hot liquid pours down your counter. as i'm sopping up carrot water, i'm thinking, this soup better be freakin' good...
and it was! well worth the mess. thanks eve-y!!!!
love your clumsy friends,
jojo & benny j
yeesh! that sounds like a mess. I'm glad the soup was worth it though.
Love,
E
I have been meaning to make a carrot soup for ages now, and this recipe looks perfect. Thanks!
We would like to feature this recipe on our blog. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if interested. Thanks :)
This soup works well with a handful of rise instead of potato.
Dear Anonymous - about the immersion blender. Try to find one at a garage sale or even a thrift shop. It's not something you use often, but boy when you use it, you love it. Nothing blends a soup faster. But most importantly you blend it right in the pot and no need to transfer batches to the blender of hot soup. And if you're like me, some day you'll forget the lid to the blender and regret not buying an immersion blender.
Mine is Braun, got it at a garage sale at least 15 years ago and it still works like a charm. There's nothing really that can break on it so with good care it will last a lifetime.
that's so funny, Carolyn. I got mine at a yardsale about 15 years ago, too and I think it is also a Braun and still going strong!!! I love it so much.
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