A beautiful, local Artist, who is now a new friend of mine, asked me to prepare a few dishes for her birthday celebration last week. It was one of the most fun events I’ve ever had the pleasure of catering. Sandy loves vegetarian, and she loves color. So we came up with a vegetarian menu that was fresh, colorful and delicious.
Carrot ginger soup was one of Sandy’s requests. I had a few recipes for carrot soup but nothing that truly “wowed” me. After browsing through some old recipes I found a carrot ginger soup recipe from the famous five star restaurant, Victoria and Alberts.
However, to keep the vegetarian theme and because I always have to “adapt” recipes to my tastes, I used the Victoria and Albert’s recipe as a guideline and came up with my own version. I must admit, it is fabulous! And, if you’d like to keep the recipe Vegan, just omit the small amout of cream that’s in the recipe.
Although I haven’t served this as a cold soup, another friend of mine suggested this might make a fabulous summer soup. Cathy, an excellent idea for all those summer carrots!
However or whenever you serve this soup, it’ll refresh your taste buds and warm your soul. A delicious and simple soup to be savored.
Delicious Wishes and Loads of Love,
Karista
Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 carrots, diced
- 1 large shallot, diced (about 1/3 - 1/2 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
- ¼ cup sliced fresh ginger
- 4 cups carrot juice (you can substitute with veggie broth, or use equal parts broth and juice)
- 1 pint heavy cream (optional, but it does make it creamier)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of dried Basil, crushed
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the garlic, bay leaves, shallots, parsley, celery and carrots. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until all the veggies have softened.
- Add 3 cups of the carrot juice and sliced ginger to the pot and stir. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Let the soup simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the bay leaves. Add the pinch of dried basil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the soup into a blender or vitamix and puree. You may need to do this in stages as all the soup may not fit in the blender all at once. Pour the pureed soup back into the pot and stir in the cream. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- If the soup is too thick, add the remaining 1 cup of carrot juice to thin the soup.
- Serve immediately. You can keep it warm on the stove if needed. Just keep the heat on low. This soup can be refrigerated and reheated stove top, or microwave. But it’s best freshly prepared.
- Serve with seasoned croutons and a dollop of crème Fraiche.
[…] many soups are fabulous for summer dining. I love a chilled fruit or veggie Gazpacho, room temp Carrot Ginger Soup or a warm Ratatouille loaded with summer […]