Carrot Ginger Soup

"Are carrots good for your eyes?!  Did you ever see a rabbit wearing glasses?"  Dad

Another of my favorite soups.  Great flavor, can be frozen, and can be served hot or cold.

This soup also contains an ingredient with wonderful health benefits - fresh ginger.  Fresh ginger is that funny little tuber that looks a bit like a misshapen nose.  The most convenient way to store fresh ginger is in the freezer.  Just put it into a small, zip lock bag and toss it into the freezer with the rest of the mystery foods that you forgot to label.  Then, when a recipe calls for fresh ginger, simply take it out and grate as much as you need.  Place it back into the bag and toss it back into the freezer.  Just for giggles, label it "Nose".

Ingredients:
  1 T olive oil
  2 medium onions, chopped
  3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  2 T fresh ginger, grated
  4 cups veggie broth
  2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped or grated
  1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
  S & white pepper to taste

Distructions:
  In a heavy pot heat the oil over medium heat and saute' the onions for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and saute' an additional minute.

Add the stock and carrots and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and partially cover.  Simmer until the carrots are tender, 15 to 30 minutes.  The smaller the pieces of carrot the shorter the cooking time. 

When the carrots are tender put the solids into a blender with a bit of liquid and puree.  Do this in small batches so you won't end up festooning the walls and cabinets with hot soup.  Return everything to the pot and add the frozen orange juice along with the salt and white pepper.

Why white pepper?  According to discerning gourmets (not me) white pepper has a slight taste of ginger, which works well in carrot ginger soup.  Also, if you use black pepper it could look like little specks of dirt floating around in your light colored soup.

If you only have black pepper add some chopped parsley, which will hide the black specks.  You little genius!

Loveya
The Mom