Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup

Time: 20-40 minutes

Skills: Easy

Serves 3 to 4

I had a bunch of carrots hiding in the refrigerator and a new blender.  A perfect match.

This recipe works with a Vitamix blender, or Cuisinart, or with slightly different steps for an  immersion blender.  This is my first time making carrot soup.  Super easy and tasty.

A Vitamix/Cuisinart cuts the cooking and prep time.  If using an immersion blender, see the bottom of this article.

Ingredients:
6-8 Medium Carrots
1/4 Small yellow onion
1/2 Red Bell Pepper (optional)
1 small green zucchini (optional)

2-4 Cloves Garlic
1 finger of fresh ginger - about two inches long - (not dried ginger!)
4-6C Chicken Broth (or vegetable broth)
Honey
dash of Cayenne Pepper (optional; compliments the honey)
dash of Thyme (optional, for color)

1 pint Half-and-Half/cream
Parsley for garnish

Steps:

1.  Peel and chop carrots, onion, bell-pepper, and zucchini into big, bold pieces. 

2.  Peel the ginger with a small knife.

Working with fresh ginger is a treat.  As my friend Nick said, It is amazing.  You can find "hands" of ginger at the produce section.  Break-off as much as you need (a finger).  Dried or powdered ginger is not nearly as good.  Nick laughed when he first viewed this article: he doesn't bother peeling the ginger's skin.

3.  Peel garlic.  No need to mince.

(and again, Nick does not bother taking the paper off the garlic -- saying it 'whirls' so fine you'd never notice, plus extra fiber.  Nick is weird in this respect.)

4.  Toss carrots, garlic, ginger, onion, bell-pepper, and zuke into the blender.
 
Add (2C) broth.
Whirl, increasing speed, adding broth as needed to help it along.

Looking for stiff peaks, I joked

5.  Pour into a large, heavy sauce pan.
 
Add broth as needed; you want a medium-thick soup, not too thin. 
(The cream will thin the final soup, so use as little broth as can be easily cooked)
You can wing this; no need to measure.
 
 Bring to a simmer, stirring often.
 
6.  Sweeten it:
 
Add 3-4 or-so Tablespoons of honey (a wild-guess is fine; to taste.  I like the soup a bit sweet.)
Add a few pinches of salt
Add Thyme
Add Cayenne Pepper

Cover with lid and cook on lowest heat for about 20 minutes. 
Stir fairly often as the mixture settles and can burn. 
- Simmer until the graininess is gone; it will 'meld' together.

When done, let cool slightly. 
 
7.  Add cream. 
 
Remove from heat and let it cool a bit before adding cream.
Add as little or as much cream as you like, until the consistency and color pleases.

Garnish with ground pepper and parsley.
This soup ages well and is better after a day or two, giving the flavors time to mingle.

If you have an immersion blender or regular blender, make these adjustments:

A.  Cube the carrots and other vegetables into small cubes.
B.  In a sauce pan, add broth. 
      Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and the other spices
C.  Cook until al'dente (still a bit firm) - soft enough to blend
D.  Blend with immersion blender, continue with the rest of the recipe.