Creamy without cream, this smooth, tingly, comforting soup is a fresh elixir of health and energy. Quick and easy to make, it looks impressive enough for company.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2 pounds carrots, chopped (7-8 cups)
- 4 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated (approximately 1 2-ounce ginger root)
- 6 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add grated ginger and cook another minute.
- Add carrots, stock and orange juice; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low, half-cover the pan with a lid and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes (test with fork).
- Blend carrot mixture until smooth with handheld immersion blender. Alternatively, blend in batches in a food processor or blender.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, thinning with water to desired consistency if necessary. If you like, garnish with chopped fresh herbs or a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche.
Notes
- The only challenging part is grating the ginger. Use a spoon to scrape off the thin peel first. Some ginger grates better on a coarse grater, some does better on a small grater – it depends on the age/maturity of the ginger. You can also cut slices of ginger crosswise (against the grain), and then mince it with a knife. In the end, it will get blended with the soup, but grating/chopping helps get rid of the stringy fibers that don’t blend well.
- Carrots can be scrubbed well and left unpeeled. Thick pieces (1-inch) are fine to cook in 20 minutes, though small pieces will cook more quickly if you are in a rush. If you cut the carrot in half lengthwise first, and then lay each half flat-side down as you cut, the pieces won’t roll off the cutting board.
- Vegan option: use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and olive oil (or coconut oil) for butter.
Here’s a link back to the post and pictures.
