Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Ginger Carrot Soup Sequel

         A few days ago I posted on making ginger carrot soup for the first time. It was a challenge of monumental proportions for me.


         Since I have lots of carrots and I haven't learned the secret of storing them I decided to make another large pot of ginger carrot soup. I really liked the ginger carrot soup I made before and I thought that once I had done this recipe I would have an easier time making the soup. 


      Well, I certainly did have an easier time making the soup. I didn't grate the carrots this time I just sliced them.  I had enough ginger root this time.


      The part that was a mystery to me last time but worked well was my undoing this time. Since I had two measures in the margin for ingredients I got mixed up. I used twice the margarine so the roux did not get to a sandy texture. I used the flour mixture anyway and the soup thickened. I also used a power hand mixer to puree the carrots and that worked well. 


    By the time I finished my monstrous pot of soup, I was so happy that I forgot to add the half cup of cream. It was still good soup. 


    So I will include the recipe for you and you can try it.



RED’S “HOT “ (STOLEN) CARROT AND GINGER SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

5 lbs carrots, peeled and grated
2 medium onions, diced
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh ginger; peeled and sliced across to cut through strings then pureed in  a food processor
4 liters chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup of cream
¼ tsp dry basil
½ pound of butter
½ pound flour
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

      In a large soup pot combine the carrots, onions, celery, ginger and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat  and allow to simmer until the vegetables are tender . Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and possibly more ginger.

      In a separate pan melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. Allow this to cook over a low heat so that it does not change color but cooks to the consistency of wet sand.

       Using a blender, puree the soup and slowly ad spoonfuls of the roux a bit at a time until it begins to thicken.