Roasted Carrot & Ginger Soup

By Foodiewife

This soup has helped me to turn a new leaf on my dislike for cooked carrots. When carrots are roasted, with a little olive oil, they become tender with a beautiful caramel color. This soup is flavored with shallots, celery, and fresh ginger. A dash of white wine and fresh orange juice gives the soup a new layer of flavor and brightness.
You can use either chicken stock or vegetable stock create a creamy and heart soup that is healthy. If you don't tell your dinner guests what the soup is, they'll have a hard time guessing! It tastes like a cross between sweet potato and a sweet flavor, you can't quite put your finger on!

Ingredients

• VARIATION/OPTIONAL:
• 1 pound whole organic carrots
• 1-2 stalks fresh celery, minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (use more, if desired,
• but be warned that the ginger can be a dominant flavor and can also taste very hot and spicy)
• 1-2 shallots, minced (or 1/2 yellow onion, minced)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp coarse salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 quart quality organic chicken (or vegetable) stock
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1/8 cup fresh orange juice, to taste
• Garnish: Fresh chives or chervil
• coconut milk or
• heavy cream for a richer flavor
• use cilantro instead of chives for a Thai twist

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 75mins
Cooking time 90mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Wash the carrots and cut off the bottom root end.
Place the whole carrots (or you can cut them lengthwise) on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.
Roast at 375 until tender and caramelized (shake the pan about halfway through to evenly roast); about 45 minutes.
Set aside.

In a Dutch Oven, heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil and the butter.

Cook the shallots (or onion) until tender--about 2-3 minutes.

Add the celery, ginger and fresh garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Season with about 2 tsp. coarse salt and white pepper (black is okay, but white pepper keeps the orange color "cleaner)".

Cut the roasted carrots into chunks, about 3". Add the carrots to the Dutch Oven.

Add about half of the chicken or vegetable stock and bring the soup to a boil, then down to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

If you have an immersion blender, you can easily puree the carrots. The soup will be very thick.

Add the white wine (if using) and then the orange juice. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.

OPTIONAL: You could jazz up this soup in a few ways. You could add coconut milk, some red pepper flakes and use lime juice, instead of orange juice.
Or, you could add heavy cream or half & half if you want a creamier and richer soup.

If you don't have an immersion blender, buy one! Otherwise, use a blender, but puree in batches and be sure to put a towel securely on the blender lid. The last thing you need is hot soup, sprayed on you and your kitchen!

Continue to add the rest of the chicken or vegetable stock, until the soup is the consistency you like. One quart of stock created a hearty and creamy soup.

Garnish with fresh chives or chervil, if desired. For a pretty presentation, you could add drizzled of flavored oil and/or creme fraiche.

We eat it without the oil and creme fraiche for less guilt, though.

Me, not being much of a carrot fan loves this soup. It has a beautiful color and great flavor.

Enjoy!