Cold Carrot Ginger Soup
When I met Bruce, I, the Texan, was the world traveler. I couldn't wait to crush myself into an airline seat, fly anywhere, and run up my credit cards, all to travel, tromp--and mostly eat. I just couldn't get enough.
Bruce? Not so much. He believed the world ran on an axis of Manhattan and the Hamptons with an unfortunate stretch of interstate between.
Naturally, I construed myself the well-heeled food sophisticate. With a few telling lapses. Like cold soup. I just couldn't do it. It violated the Texas prairie boy in me. Soup is hot. Period. If it's cold, it means you didn't get your butt to the table fast enough.
Bruce has always loved cold soups--and so despite my program to sophisticate him in the ways of the larger world (we went to Paris within two months of moving in together), he slowly advanced what turned out to be my rather rustic palate. That first Thanksgiving together? A cold blueberry chipotle soup to start the meal. That Christmas? A spicy cranberry soup with Zindandel and oregano.
After thirteen years together, I love cold soups--and none more so than a cold ginger carrot soup he makes. I beg for it enough that there's often a big bowl of it in the back refrigerator.
Here's how he makes it:
He fires up a large saucepan over medium heat, swirls in 1 tablespoon untoasted sesame oil, and adds 1 chopped large yellow onion and 3 minced medium garlic cloves--all of which he cooks, stirring often, just until softened, about 3 minutes.
Then he stirs in 3 pounds peeled and chopped carrots, 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons chopped candied (or crystallized) ginger, 1 teaspoon ground dried ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 3 keffir lime leaves. He stirs all that over the heat until it's ridiculously aromatic, maybe about 2 minutes.
Then he raises the heat to medium-high and pours in 1 quart vegetable broth and 1 cup Riesling or other sweet white wine. As the wine comes to a simmer, he scrapes any browned bits off the pan's bottom. He covers the pan, reduces the heat to low, and simmers for about 40 minutes, until the carrots are really soft, ready to be pureed.
He sets the pan off the heat about 15 minutes to cool it down, then takes out the keffir lime leaves and pours about half the pan's contents into a large blender.
He gives it a good whir until smooth and luscious--then pours it into a bowl, repeats with the other half of the pan's contents, and refrigerates until cold, probably overnight, or at least 6 hours. Covered, it'll keep in the fridge for a week, a perfect lunch with a tossed salad any day of the week.
carrot, cold soup, ginger, soup, vegetarian 
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Reader Comments (2)
This looks yummy! I am making it tomorrow!
So easy, too, Carrie. And best of all, it keeps in the fridge, a lunch for days ahead. (Welcome here, too, by the bye.)
M.