While the boys played I whipped up this carrot ginger soup yesterday for dinner. Michael was late getting home, saw the pot sitting on the stove, peered in and looked very skeptical. He stuck a finger into the cold soup to taste it and still didn't look convinced. After I warmed it up and swirled in the yogurt, he said it tasted great and polished off two bowls, as did our six-year-old. I really like how light it is. Use the freshest, juiciest carrots you can find because they will give the soup so much more flavor.
The recipe comes from Entertaining Simple by Matthew Mead. The book helps beginning hosts plan several basic types of parties (brunch, cocktail, summer barbecue, holiday open house, coffee house, etc.) and comes complete with menus, recipes, and serving and decorating suggestions. This ginger carrot soup recipe is part of the brunch party menu. A weekend brunch is one of my favorite types of parties to host because it is such a casual, relaxing time. Comfort foods rule the menu and it's generally easy prep work.
I have one copy of this handy book to give away, courtesy of Wiley. You’ll get my review copy, very gently used, just leave a comment telling us about your favorite type of party to host or attend. Please make sure your email address is correct so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner. The book can be shipped to United States, Canada, and APO/FPO addresses. The contest closes at midnight EST on Friday January 16, 2009, and Random.org will select the winner. Look for the announcement of the winner in this post soon after.
WINNER: Congratulations to Anya, comment #11, the winner of the book!
[Updated November 23, 2009.]
Carrot Ginger Soup
Equipment
- 5 or 6-quart pot with lid
- immersion (stick) blender or regular blender
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- ¼ cup peeled grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 7 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1½ pounds carrots (very fresh, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon curry powder
- salt (to taste)
- fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
Garnish
- plain yogurt (or heavy cream)
- snipped chives
- chopped parsley
Preparation
- In the pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the stock, wine, and carrots. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered about 45 minutes, until the carrots are very tender.
- Puree the soup in the pot using the immersion blender or use a regular blender. If using a regular blender you may have to do it in batches.
- Season with the lemon juice and curry powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and swirl in a spoonful of yogurt or cream. Top with a sprinkle of chives or parsley and serve.
Ben says
I will try this soup recipe tonight. Thanks. Can I enter the giveaway for the book? I'm not sure how it works as I'm new to the world of blogs
toontz says
I cannot wait to try this, Andrea! It looks lovely. I have an annual 4th of July brunch (potluck). I love it because it is casual, and we get a variety of food. I supply a main egg dish (and coffee and juice), and everyone else fills in the menu. The parade begins right outside our front door, so it is quite the party.
Peter says
The soup looks awesome and would suit this cold day. I like hosting any party/dinner...using what's in season.
Sarah says
A couple times a year we have a brunch get-together with my husband's family. Everyone brings a breakfast dish which is great because we have a large variety. I love breakfast, but rarely make it because it's just too much work in the morning for one person!
Selfish Mom says
That looks like a fantastic recipe, I love carrot soup!
Ben says
Oh the use of yogurt must work perfectly with this or any soup. I will try this for sure and my favorite kind of party to attend is the one where people just show up and decide to eat/drink/play/dance/cook without any plans, they always turn out to be the best.
Lauren says
I really want to host a latke party. So that's what I'm gonna say.
Dan says
bbq's
parker says
I love appetizer type parties
mindy says
i usually have an open door party, i invite tons of people and they come and go, in the evenings it is finger foods and in the afternoons barbecue thanks for the giveaway
Anya says
I like pot luck dinners. Thanks.
Courtney says
yummy looking soup! My fav type of parties are wine and cheese.
Nicole says
I love hosting fun dinner parties
Carol says
I really enjoy theme food parties, such as our annual Super Bowl party. This year our them is Comfort Food, last year was Mexican, the year before was Make-Your-Own-Pizzas, etc. I plan on making Mac and Cheese, Meat Loaf, Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese for the little kids, Chocolate Laye Cake, my mom's Rice Pudding, and of course, the snacks that everyone has to have during the game.
D Wilson says
My favorite type of party to host is a summertime swimming party for my grown kids and their friends followed by a grilled dinner. The kitchen stays cool - the guys are typically happy to do the grilling and I can fix cool/cold side dishes ahead leaving me time to relax and enjoy the party.
fountaingirl says
Oh! Boy that looks good. I love hosting brunches, but am wanting to host an Oscar party. They look like fun and I've never done one.
Jessica says
We tend to have more casual get-togethers with our friends, which I love! We can put out any type of food we want, and it's always a hit - it's the best way to have a variety and to try out new recipes!
Sarah says
One of my favorite parties to do is a Mexican party with homemade margaritas, yummy salsa and guacamole. This is usually around the time of year when I've hosted one as a way to warm up the winter.
colloquial cook says
I love barbecues, and I love them even more since I live in a loft that has huge roof space with a view on NYC's skyline! I am looking forward to warmer days...
Arianna says
My husband loves soup! He gets upset on weekends when we are at a restaurant and they don't have soup! I make soup all the time.
juicer girl says
I really love dinner parties.
Shellie Seering says
I lvoe to throw appetizer parties! The prep is quick, and the party atmosphere is always fun and laid back!
chris swan says
WOW that recipe sounds great. I want to make it this weekend.
Val says
My favorite type of party is anything that is a potluck. People always make their best version of something & I love sampling everything.
Never been 1 for having 1 person (host) do all the work for a gathering, so we usually make every event a potluck. Always fun!
Stacy says
I like intimate dinner parties--just a few friends--and playing Cranium afterwards.
Dawn Yates says
My fave type of party is one that includes food and crafts. I have been trying to get everyone from work together for a craft night and the one night it has worked out, the food was amazing! Thanks for the giveaway!
feener says
i like to host cookie swaps
Erica Cosgrove says
I like hosting pizza parties where we get our favorite local pizza to sell us the pie half-baked. We finish baking at home and I whip up a big healthy salad. This is the only entertaining I can manage right now but it at least gets us together with friends.
Sara says
Oh wow, that looks amazing!
I'm home alone this weekend, so I think I'm going to give this one a try tomorrow evening!
Lynda says
I love casual get togethers with friends, like pot lucks and BQ's. In a couple of weeks some friends and I are having a craft party- should be fun! Your soup looks very tasty, something that I could make to warm us up on this very cold day. Thanks for the recipe and chance to win an interesting cookbook!
Heather says
Once a month my girl friends from high school all get together for dinner. There are six of us and we alternate where we go. It's fun to see what each person makes and to see how each others cooking skills have increased. We are in our early thirties and have knows each other for about 20 years, so it's a lot of fun. There is one in the group who like to experiment on us, which is always interesting!
owlhaven says
I made this recipe for lunch, except I used evaporated milk instead of yogurt. It was wonderful! And so pretty!
Mary
RecipeGirl says
What a wonderful looking soup!
Fave type of party to host is a happy hour- I LOVE making appetizers and fun drink recipes.
Elle says
My favorite party is our famous deep fried lobster party. It's an annual tradition. We own a good fryer and of course only use rice oil to fry our goodies in. We usually serve a butter lettuce salad with vanilla, cinnamon walnuts, red onion and blue cheese chucks with the best dressing ever.
On New years day we fry up homemade bignets-delish!!
Andrea says
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! The contest is now closed. Check back in the next day or so for the announcement of the winner!
Marye says
Sorry to have missed the contest but the soup sounds amazing. Much different from my usual recipe. I need to try this. 🙂
Natalie says
Greetings from Annandale. Also sorry to have missed the contest, but just wanted to mention that my food-centric "entertaining" revolves around family gatherings. The more elaborate entertaining is for the holidays: Easter (which also includes the Adult-division Easter Egg Hunt - a combat sport), Mother's Day, Father's Day, summer birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. My "entertaining" notebook is where I keep details of menus and recipes for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. On another note - you may enjoy these flickr photos of a "dinner party" my son put together for some of his friends in Oct 2007. He lives in DC.
See here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjcoleman/sets/72157602404107387/
And one of my daughters loves to bake, and hosts an annual holiday cookie party (not a cookie swap) - she baked 1588 cookies for the party she had in December.
Thanks for your blog - I don't check it everyday, but I always enjoy your postings. Take care - and many blessings in this new year.
baking soda says
I love carrot soup! Reminds me of the birthday party when I served this kind of soup to the crowd and my Oma whispered: honey, you did great but let's just serve normal soup next time shall we?
Farmgirl Susan says
This soup looks delicious! I've never made carrot soup but have been wanting to for ages. I always have several pounds of organic carrots in the fridge - though my donkeys are thrilled when I forget to use them and they get a little past their prime. 😉 That book sounds great - I'm sorry I missed the giveaway!
Laurel says
Great recipe!! I made it this evening and put a review up on my blog. 2 thumbs up.
adira says
This recipe looks great. What can I substitute for butter?
Andrea says
Hi Adira. You can use olive oil instead of butter if you prefer.
snafu says
hmmm, it really does sound good, but you note: "The recipe comes from Entertaining Simple by Matthew Mead". I certainly hope you asked Mr Mead for permission to reprint his recipe on your site, otherwise its copyright infringement and you could get in alot of trouble. Hopefully that is not the case
Andrea says
Recipe attribution and copyright is a matter of great concern to me and many other food bloggers, and I properly stated that this recipe was adapted (changed slightly) from the book. You can find more information about this topic in the Recipe Attribution article at the Food Blog Alliance website.
snafu says
excellent! Thanks for the info, I was unfamiliar with how that works and just didn't want you to get in trouble.
I tried the recipe last night, it was very good. Here's a few tips I learned from the process:
1)I highly recommend using fresh organic carrots as the taste is far superior, and since this dish is so carrot intensive its well worth it!
2)I didn't have either fresh parsley or chives to top it with so I opted for green onions which ultimately didn't work for me. Next time I'll go to the store for fresh parsley, that would be perfect I think
3)I used a standard blender to puree it which works fine but be very careful how you fill it! If you put too much liquid in and not enough of the carrots, etc it will surge to the top in dramatic fashion, the top will get really hot and it will force it off and splatter everywhere. Fill it only about 1/2 to 2/3 full and make sure you have a consistent balance of liquid to solids and you'll be fine
Elizabeth says
Mmmm this looks good! I am giving it a try and hopefully it will turn out as pretty as yours did! Thanks for the recipe!
ganga says
Thank you so much for the link to my post on parsnip soup. Your soup looks amazing, and I am a great fan of ginger!
Ray says
I was just poking around the web for soups that contained ginger (was feeling pretty sick with a sore throat and slight fever) and stumbled across your recipe. It looked interesting and though I've never been particularly fond of carrots, I decided to try it out. Boy am I glad I did!
It took a little over an hour and a half to make, but it was well worth the wait (and all that chopping by hand was therapeutic)! Definitely one of the tastiest soups I've made and had. My wife also really enjoyed it. Thanks for this!
Leslie says
This is was the best soup I have ever made. Thanks so much! Gotta find that cookbook.