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Curried Carrot Ginger Soup to warm you up By Kady Guyton
Through various boring quirks of fate I wound up with about fifteen pounds of carrots in my fridge last week. I like carrots, but that's a lot for my household to go through in the given amount of time. Also, my freezer is already full of ice cream, frozen chicken backs and Chinese oyster sauce. So freezing the whole lot wasn't really an option. Like all chefs throughout history, I began to look for ways to get them out of the house in a form that others would not only find appealing, but would be grateful to receive. Thus, Curried Carrot Ginger Soup was born. This soup is a great way to make use of lots of carrots. The curry and ginger play up the natural sweetness of the carrots without being overwhelming and it cooks up quickly. The cream gives it a riches that elevates it above vegetable puree and becomes soup. A cook with pre-chopped carrots could reasonably expect to go from ingredients to table in under half an hour. Or if you want to take off your shoes and check your email before enjoying dinner, this can simmer for much longer before disaster occurs. Just hold off on adding the cream until right before blending. Because there are so few ingredients, the flavor will stay true for several days, making this a great soup for a starter at dinner, then just as good with a sandwich over the next day or two. Before the recipe, a word on the benefits of carrots. Carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A, which is used through out the body. It's benefits include vision and overall eye health, beefing up the immune system, skin health, reduction of heart disease and cancer and everyone's favorite - antioxidants. The distinctive orange color of carrots comes from beta carotene. Overdosing on this isn't harmful, but will turn the skin orange. If anyone want's to try that out, please send me a photo of the results. I was amused to learn that the "fact" about carrots improving night vision was in fact a rumor started by the British during World War II to cover up the fact that they had radar installed on their planes. Other fun carrot facts: the world's largest carrot was grown in Palmer, AK in 1998 and weighed in at 19 pounds. Holtville in southern California claims the title of "Carrot Capital of the World" complete with a festival celebrating all things carrot. So as the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, let this bright orange soup ease us into fall. Curried Carrot Ginger Soup In a sauce pan, sautee the onion in a small amount of olive oil until soft. Do not brown. Add a pinch of curry and stir until onions are golden in color and spice is fragrant. Add ginger, carrots, broth and remaining curry. Cover and simmer over medium-high heat until carrots are soft, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Blend with a stick blender or in batches - carefully - in a regular blender. Stir in cream to taste. Serve with crusty buttered bread and a dry white wine. |
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