When I haven’t been to the store for a full grocery run in a while, and both the pantry and the refrigerator are looking dangerously bare, this soup is a life saver. It comes together in about a half hour, and there’s only a handful of ingredients required, most of which I always have around. Despite a scanty number of ingredients, this soup is not sparse on flavor. It’s creamy, fresh, and bursting with punchy ginger and sweet carroty goodness.

A lot of carrot soups rely on fat from cream or coconut for thickening and flavor. I love that this soup is thickened solely with carrots, so the flavors remain very bright and undiluted. The being said, you do need quite a few carrots to achieve that thick consistency, so be sure you have enough!

Most of the time I serve this soup with a drizzle of runny honey or good olive oil and some fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley, or dill all go very nicely). But sometimes I’ll add a dollop of creme fraiche or greek yogurt for extra richness. You can serve it with fresh crusty bread for dipping, alongside a hearty tartine (as I have done here), or ladled over buttery rice for a gluten free option. And as with most soups, the flavor improves after a day, so it makes a great take-to-work lunch or make ahead appetizer for a dinner party.

Carrot Ginger Soup - Serves 4

Equipment:

• Blender or immersion blender

• Heavy bottom soup pot

Ingredients:

• 3 TBS. butter or olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 7-8 carrots, peeled and sliced

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 2in. nub fresh ginger, peeled and minced

• 3 strips fresh orange peel*

• 4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• Honey or olive oil and fresh herbs for garnish

Method:

1. Melt the butter in the soup pot over medium heat until fully melted and no longer bubbling. Add the carrots, onions, and salt, stir, and cover. Allow the vegetables to sweat over medium low heat for five minutes.

2. Add the broth, ginger, and orange peel. Bring to a boil and continue to simmer covered for 20 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat, and remove the orange strips from the soup. Be sure to get all the peel because, if blended, it will make the soup very bitter. Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes.
   Then process it (in batches if needed) to a smooth, creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve drizzled with honey or olive oil and fresh herbs.

*To make fresh orange peel strips, slowly run a vegetable peeler around the circumference of the orange. Continue to peel without lifting the peeler away from the orange until you have several inches of continuous peel.

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes