At this summer's Advancing the State of the Industry training, we learned the healthy benefits of begining a meal with soup. My favorite soup for the week was the Ginger Carrot soup so it seemed like a good idea to share the recipe!

 

 

            2 Tbsp. butter

            1 Tbsp. olive oil

            1 cup diced onions

            ½ cup diced celery

            ¼ cup minced ginger

            1 Tbsp. minced garlic

            1 bay leaf

½ lb. carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

            4-6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (no tomato based vegetables) or water

            1 tsp. salt

            ½ tsp. freshly ground white pepper

            ½ cup heavy cream or increase ratio to sour cream only

            ¼ of sour cream

            chopped chives, for garnish

 

Set a 4-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pot. Once the butter is melted, place the onions and celery in the pot. Sweat the vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic to the pot and cook for 30 seconds. Place all of the carrots in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are lightly caramelized and start to soften, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the stock, salt, pepper, and bay leaf to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the soup until the carrots are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

 

Remove the bay leaf from the pot, and using an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot. You can also use a regular bar blender and puree the soup in batches. Adjust the seasoning, add the heavy cream to the pot and stir in well.