Gingered Carrot Soup

A good friend made this recipe for a recent dinner. It was tasty, complex, and interesting. Normally, you might think of carrot soup as somewhat sweet but the ginger and mint add a whole new layer. A good recipe as we move into the cooler, winter months.

Gingered Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium leek, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger 
• 1 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1 1/2 lb. carrots 
• 2-3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• Zest from 1 orange
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• sugar to taste
• salt to taste
• ground black or white pepper to taste

Preparation:

Slice leek, grate ginger, finely chop mint leaves, peel carrots and cut into 3/4 inch lengths (if using large carrot you can also cut them in half lengthwise).

Cooking:

In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the leek and gingers and saute until the leeks are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and saute until coated with butter. Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the carrots are very tender, about 30-35 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (The soup can be made up to this point the day before and refrigerated. Add the orange juice and prep the mint the next day).

Juice the oranges and add juice to pot. Heat the soup gently and adjust seasonings, adding sugar, salt and pepper as needed. White pepper does well with this dish.

Serving:

Soup can be served cold or reheated. If reheating, do not boil.  

Garnish with mint leaves, citrus slices, or orange zest.

Recommended wine:

Riesling