Tomato Carrot Ginger Soup

I had some carrots just hanging out in the frig...remember those big, thick carrots from the SLO Veg box the week before last? Yeah, carrots can hang for a long time in the frig...why was I waiting?

I was waiting for the perfect recipe, that's why. I wanted to savor the carrots and I couldn't decide whether to toss them into a stew, saute them with butter and parsley, or roast them in the oven and serve alongside a slab of meat. But then I saw this recipe for carrot-ginger soup on Pinterest from the Downtown Abbey blog and my mouth began to water.I guess Downtown Abbey is a show, and I know Tim McGraw's family is a big fan club, but I myself have never seen it. Hmmm...probably preempted by The Headless Horseman or something...oh well. Apparently there is a fan following for the food of Downtown Abbey, because there is a cookbook based on the show. Life definately imitates art.

So I made this recipe, but the only thing was I had one or two purple carrots in the vegetable bin that I tossed in for good measure, and you know what? I had a purplely soup! Good soup! But purple, kind of like a borscht, but not. The color was kind of off-putting, so I had  to do something. I decided to mix in a can of tomato soup. It turned the color from greyish-purple to brick red. Hmmmm...I guess that is better. Let me make some grilled cheese sandwiches to serve alongside and see if I can get the guys to eat some.

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http://downtonabbeycooks.com/2013/10/01/watching-downton-abbey-is-as-satisfying-as-carrot-ginger-soup/

Classic Carrot Ginger Soup

simple, elegant and heart-heart healthy.

Carrot soup is one of those classics dishes which is simple in terms of its main ingredients.  But add ginger and then pureeing takes it from the servant’s hall to the upstairs dining room. Guilt free, there is little fat in this recipe.
Ingredients
Serves 4

• 2 tbsp. canola oil or olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 lbs. carrots, roughly chopped
• 5 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock (more to thin)
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground black pepper *
• low fat plain yoghurt to garnish
• chives to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the onion and ginger for about five minutes until the flavours have been released.
2. Add the carrots, stock, and orange juice.  Increase the heat, bringing to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer, covering the pot.
3. Cook until the carrots are tender, about 45 minutes.
4. In the Downton kitchen the soup would have been pressed through a sieve to break up the solids, but we have the convenience of immersion blenders to puree the soup right in the pot.  If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a blender or food processor.
5. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper.  If the soup is too thick, add some additional stock to thin and reheat.
6. You can serve the soup hot or cold; garnish the soup with a spoonful of yoghurt and nutmeg before serving.

****So I changed the recipe by adding one can of condensed cream of tomato soup. I just opened the can and stirred it in, and created a tomato-ginger-carrot soup. Lee says to never make it again. That's good!