FALL IS THE START OF SOUP SEASON and I'm suggesting three soups that remind me of this wonderful time of the year. They are:
Butternut Squash Soup
Smoked Fish & Corn Chowder
Carrot Ginger Soup
I’ll place three little pieces of paper in a hat with these names and select one and offer that recipe in my post.
A slow drum roll is in order.
The winner is… Number 3.
I was not a fan of cooked carrots as a youngster, so my mother would nicely peel raw carrots for dinner and offer carrot sticks to me as a compromise while my brothers and sisters ate the steamed carrots. I simply couldn’t stand the taste of cooked carrots. Her accommodating ways brought protests from my siblings complaining that I was her favorite. Tough crowd. As I recall, I chewed the carrots rather loudly to get a reaction out of them. I’m now guessing this had something to do with being a middle child. I’m probably lending some credence to the birth order aficionados and for that, I'm sorry.
Ever since I discovered the miracle of an immersion blender, I have enjoyed pureeing many of my soups to blend the flavors and having now matured from my childhood rebuff of carrots and offer this Carrot-Ginger Soup proclaiming it is, “to live for.”
I’ve come a long way!
Bob’s Carrot-Ginger Soup
INGREDIENTS
2 TBS butter / 2 TBS EVOO
1 1/2 pounds carrots / 8-10 carrots peeled and large dice.
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 TBS minced ginger root.
4 cups homemade chicken stock
Cinnamon and nutmeg dash
Salt & Pepper
Juice from one navel orange and some zest.
1 cup Coconut Silk or Whole Milk
Parsley, or dill with a dollop of sour crème or yogurt for garnish.
Directions
In a Dutch oven, or large soup pot, add oils and onions over medium-high heat and stir regularly until translucent. Add broth, carrots and ginger. Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a slow roll and within twenty-five minutes the carrots should be nice and tender.
Add the seasonings and orange juice and zest and milk and let the flavors steep and cool down prior to zapping with the immersion blender to your desired consistency.
A cold overnight rest in the refrigerator works just fine.
Reheat and ladle piping hot into your favorite soup bowl and top it with whatever floats your boat. Yum.