The Carrot Ginger Soup we served at our dinner party Saturday night was simply delicious! It was rich in color and flavor. Its creamy texture and the delicate sweetness of the carrots punctuated by the bite of the ginger excited everyone’s taste buds for what was to follow.
This is a delectable recipe, which I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share with everyone. A dear friend shared this with me several years ago. He came over to the house and taught me step by step how to make it… nothing beats “show and tell”. He even brought his own Vitamix. Hopefully I can relay through words the exact method of making the soup.
Carrot and Ginger Soup
3 – 4 lbs. orange carrots
¼ cup peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 ½ tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons minced green onion
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 ½ tablespoon honey
8 cups Stock – Vegetable & Chicken
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces butter – 1 stick – cut into thirds
Peel and thinly slice 3 – 4 pounds of carrots. I like my soup to be thick so I use 4 pounds of carrots. I also use the slicing blade on my KitchenAid Food Processor. It slices the carrots quickly and evenly. If you don’t own a food processor, no worries, it will just take you a little longer to cut the carrots.
In a large stockpot, heat the ¼ cup peanut oil on medium heat and sauté the minced garlic, ginger, green onion and red pepper flakes for about 2 minutes or until glossy. Add in sliced carrots, salt, pepper, turmeric and honey and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. The original recipe called for vegetable stock only, but I like to combine 4 cups of vegetable stock with 4 cups of chicken stock. I also like to use stock that is either unsalted or low sodium. Once the carrots have come to a boil, turn the heat to medium low and continue cooking uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender. This step may take longer; it will all depend on how thick the carrots have been sliced. The original recipe called for cooking the carrots and stock for 40 minutes. However, do not overcook the carrots; you do not want them soggy.
Using a large ladle, spoon the carrots and stock into a blender. Add in a third of the butter and a third of the heavy cream. Blend until creamy. Pour into a clean stockpot. Continue blending the remainder of the carrots and stock with the butter and cream. Do not overfill your machine. Once everything is blended, heat on low, and garnish with thinly sliced chives.* Enjoy!
This soup was adapted from a recipe by Wolfgang Puck and my dear friend.
* If you find the soup to be too thick, add water, a little at a time, until you have the perfect consistency.
