Carrot soup

I think I may be a liar. At the very least, I have misled you. You see, when I created my header for this blog I tried to think of a short blurb about the things I am passionate about and would thereby be writing about. "Friends, Family, Photography, Food" made the final cut. So, let's see here. Friends...check. Family...check, check. Photography...(clearly) check, check, check. Food...flatline. I've got nothing. Well, not completely nothing. There were the roasted vegetables and the fruit salad. But they were a.long.time.ago. And if it counts, there were the posts about events revolving around food. On second thought...nah, those don't count! So in all fairness to food, it hasn't gotten a good showing here. I thought I'd live up to my promise today.

Truth be told, I LOVE cooking. I do it nearly every night. I often cook new recipes, sometimes 3 new ones a week. I follow food blogs. I bake. Evidence is clear: I love to cook. So amidst all this avid cooking, what is so bold as to break my culinary blogging silence? Cream of carrot soup. I first was introduced to this recipe by my friend when we were living in New Orleans. I told her one day I wanted to make a gourmet meal together. She whipped up this little dish with some homemade bread...I was smitten! Sitting on her front porch in New Orleans, talking about life, probably sweating profusely...a great memory. But this is decidedly a post about food and not friends, so I digress.

I have since made this soup a number of times, and every time I do I am more smitten with it every time. It calls for a splash of orange juice and some grated ginger which give it such a fresh and bright flavor. A little curry gives it some spice, and the mellow, sweet, earthiness of the carrots makes this an altogether savory soup. Another friend blogged about a similar version of this soup on the very day I made mine. She very accurately stated, "It's too good not to share." And I agree.

I served this twice. The first time I had the grandmothers and great grandmothers over for brunch. Served with a delicious chicken salad, the meal was quite nearly my idea of a perfect lunch. The next day I warmed it up and ate it with a slice of toasted whole wheat bread topped with a few slices of sharp cheddar cheese. Heavenly, even the next day!

Cream of Carrot Soup

from the Joy of Cooking

Heat in a soup pot over medium-low heat until the butter is melted:
1/4 cup water or stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

Add and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes:
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Stir in:
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup fresh orange juice
1.5 pounds peeled, coarsely chopped carrots

Simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the soup using a hand held blender or very carefully in batches in your traditional blender.

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half.

Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer briefly and ladle into bowls and serve.

I actually think this was a little too sweet so next time I would reduce the orange juice to 1/2 cup and increase chicken stock to 4.5 cups.

This is an excellent fall or holiday soup. It would be a delicious first course for a Thanksgiving feast. Enjoy!