Carrot-Ginger Soup

Hooray! Yippee! Hallelujah! The hottest summer on record (or maybe just to me because I was pregnant until two weeks ago) is having a respite from the oppressive heat.  Temperatures are in the low 80's today and that's cause for celebration.  No more 103 degree temps that had me sitting in the Red Hook kiddie pool, drinking my body weight in water and lemonade.  It was 74 degrees when I woke up today and you know what that means...I can (thankfully) turn on the stove and oven again.  It's cooking time!

So, we got a huge bunch of carrots in our CSA share this past weekend.  We also got gorgeous garlic bulbs.  You know, the kind of bulbs that still have dirt on the exterior and cloves that are wrapped in purplish-pink skin.  It's my kind of garlic.  And it's a beauty.  I have some left over stock and a piece of Hawaiian ginger that needs to be used as well.  That means it's time for Carrot-Ginger Soup.  

I'm not sure when I stumbled upon the combination of carrot and ginger.  But if I were guessing, I'd say it was probably in the form of salad dressing at a Japanese restaurant.  It's really a nice match.  I did a google search for a soup recipe and many were too simple or, on the flip side, too cumbersome and complex.  This one was simple enough but with turmeric, red pepper flakes and honey it had a nice twist.  I diverged from the original recipe-- using a little bit less stock and cream and I don't think the flavor was compromised at all.   When I make this again I may substitute coconut milk for the cream.   Just a thought.  Also, you can serve this soup hot or cold.  It's really tasty! 

Okay, I've got a million things to do related to our impending move to Colorado...but if I have an extra 25 minutes while Otis, Theo and Omar are napping, I'm going to watch the most recent episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.  Is it just me, or is this the best season ever?!!? 

Carrot Ginger Soup (Adapted from Wolfgang Puck by Nick Kindelsperger for Serious Eats and modified only slightly by yours truly)
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon green onion, chopped
A generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds of carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (I used 10 carrots after googling 'How many carrots in a pound?'  The answer came up as 6-8 medium sized carrots or 4 very large carrots.)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper
3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock  (Original recipe uses 4 cups of stock. I used less because I didn't want the puree to be too thin.)
1/4 cup heavy cream (Original recipe uses 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Directions

• Pour the oil into a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, minced ginger, green onions, and red pepper flakes. Stir occasionally and cook for a minute, or until very fragrant. Dump in the carrots, turmeric, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. 
• Pour in the stock, cream, and butter. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until the carrots are very tender. 
• Blend the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper and serve.