carrot soup with fresh ginger

Here it is, almost mid-November, and in spite of a frost yesterday, a few herbs are still green and growing next to the granite front steps.  Amazing.  I bring in bits and bobs of mint and thyme, the gone-to-seed parsley, and the fragrant lavender to put under my pillow at night and to remember any greenery in the next few days, before the Polar Vortex descends on us.  Thinking of you all to the west of us, especially my grandchildren in Minnesota.

I got up this morning thinking of this bright and cheerful carrot soup, happily had the ingredients, and start to finish, I was done in an hour - just in time to go get my flu shot.  So good!  Carrots are so bright and cheery, and blended into a soup, are earthy and sweet at the same time.

I most often use this recipe with thyme, dill and fresh and dry ginger, but have also made various combinations using fresh orange juice, or even curry powder - it's really up to you and what you like (or even more important, what you don't like).


Carrot Soup with ginger and dill

2 cups water 
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups peeled, sliced carrots
1 tablespoon peeled and grated ginger root
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried dill, or 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
1 cup sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
salt and pepper to taste
extra water or stock for thinning the soup

In a large saucepan, add the water, stock, carrots, celery, ginger root, ginger, dill, and the salt and pepper.

Simmer covered until the carrots are very, very soft.
Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree.  If it seems too thick, add small amounts of water or stock to thin it to the consistency you want.

This makes 3-4 servings.

I hope your day is beautiful !

ps/  I keep the ginger tuber in my freezer in a ziplock plastic bag and just cut off pieces at I need them.  I do trim off the outer brown peel, but often just grate the frozen ginger into whatever I'm making.  For this recipe, I cut off a chunk, peeled it, and minced it.  I am tempted to start growing it in a pot though:  you can find instructions here .  I'd love to hear from you if you do try to grow it, especially if you have a cooler house in a cold climate.