Curry-ginger carrot soup

Hi there - I hope you had a wonderful holiday!  Maybe you're still enjoying the break, kicking your feet up in the comfort of your home?  I like to think that of everyone.  For my part, I'm home savoring the time together with my family.  The thing is...I've realized that while we can't slow down time, we can try to savor it.  So that's just what I'm doing as we look forward to the New Year and embrace that feeling of possibility that comes with it.

Since my attempt at chocolate-champagne truffles was a dud, I drop in today with a simple soup for my last post of the year.  Maybe it's just as well because while I've been enjoying - really thoroughly enjoying - all the treats the season (and our very own kitchen) has to offer, I hit something of a wall a few days ago when my husband brought home some pastries from Francois Payard.  They were delicious and we polished them off (along with some other treats around the house) but I suppose I just had one piece of cake too many and needed a day or two's reprieve*.  Soup is great for that.

Naturally sweet carrot soup balanced by spices from curry powder and fresh ginger

And I have been on a pretty consistent soup kick since September.  I can't get tired of it because I just find a big piping-hot bowl of soup to go so well, and be so welcomed, with just about anything during the cold months.  It's always smart to have healthy, nourishing, ready-to-eat food in the house and I'm so happy when I look in my fridge and suddenly remember I have some soup ready to go.

Sometimes carrot soup can be too sweet.  A particular Thai restaurant I've been to comes to mind - their carrot soup is so sweet, it can't possibly be from carrots alone.  I think someone's dousing the soup with a little sugar, which should be unnecessary in my opinion.  In fact, I like to balance out the natural sweetness of the carrots with spice.  So I enjoy a version like this one where both curry powder and fresh ginger, as well as a little garlic, add a spicy dimension.

You can use vegetable broth for this soup but I like the more savory note in the background from using chicken broth.  I'm thankful for my immersion blender, which I use to puree soups like this one. The carrot soup ends up nice and creamy but light.  It's a lighter alternative to say butternut squash soup, which I have likewise been doctoring with curry powder. Come to think of it, I've been adding curry powder to quite a number of savory dishes!

I think this is the kind of simple food we all welcome in the rapidly-approaching month of January. Personally, I'm for all kinds of eating, in January and any month for that matter - soup included!

* Happily, it didn't take long for me to re-coup from my dessert excesses.  I'm ready for a slice of cake now.  : )

Recipe:

Curry-Ginger Carrot Soup
Based roughly on "Curried Carrot Soup" recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

- Approximately 6 servings - 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder (sweet or hot, depending on preference)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 gloves of garlic, grated
2 teaspoons coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
3 cups water
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 bay leaf
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-heat.  Add onion, curry powder, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, about 5 minutes.  Add broth, water, carrots, and bay leaf.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer, covered, until carrots soften, about 20-25 minutes.

Let soup cool slightly.  Remove bay leaf and then blend with an immersion blender until completely smooth.  If using a blender, carefully puree in several batches filling the blender no more than halfway each time.  If you need to thin the soup out a bit, add water or more broth.  To finish, add lemon juice and taste, adjusting seasoning as necessary.

Garnish with chives or other herbs, if desired.  In the summer, you could consider serving this soup chilled.