Both of us find carrot soup delicious and comforting, so I’m often drawn to those recipes when looking for a quick dinner based on soup. Apparently, I am not alone in my love of carrot soup as Mollie Katzen has a Moosewood and an Enchanted Broccoli Forrest version.

When we downsized from our house to a condo, I also needed to downsize my collection of cookbooks. I sent my copy of Enchanted Broccoli Forrest off to a friend, keeping my beloved Moosewood cookbook. Making the discovery that Mollie Katzen has published some of Enchanted Broccoli’s recipes on her website was a delightful one!

As she points out, this version of Gingered Carrot Soup is deliciously thick and can be used as a sauce if so desired. We however, ate it straight up (I skipped the buttermilk) and found it warming and bright (thank you lemon juice).

Gingered Carrot Soup

Mollie Katzen, Enchanted Broccoli Forrest

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. carrots
• 4 cups water
• 1 TBSP butter or oil (I used coconut oil)
• 1 1/2 c chopped onion
• 2 med. cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBSP freshly grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp EACH: cumin, ground fennel, cinnamon, allspice, dried mint (I had some fresh, so used that)
• 3-4 TBSP fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup lightly toasted cashews
• OPTIONAL: buttermilk to drizzle on top

Method

1. Peel and trim carrots, and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place in a medium-large saucepan with the water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until very tender (about 10-15 minutes, depending upon the size of the carrot pieces).
2. Meanwhile, heat the butter or oil in a small skillet. Add onions and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, salt, and spices. Turn heat to low, and continue to sauté for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until everything is well mingled and the onions are very soft. Stir in lemon juice.
3. Use a food processor or blender to purée everything together – including the toasted cashews. (I used my immersion blender for this – not a fan of my food processor or countertop blender). You will need to do this in several batches if using food processor or countertop blender.
4. Transfer the purée to a kettle and heat gently just before serving.
5. OPTIONAL: pass a small pitcher of buttermilk for individual drizzlings.