Carrot-Ginger Soup with Orange Cream

Carrot-Ginger Soup with Orange Cream

Mady Kaye – The Beat Divas
Serves 6 to 8

4 TBSP. butter
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup blanched, toasted almonds, finely ground up
3” to 4” piece of fresh ginger root, peeled & finely grated = 3+ TBSP. ginger “mash”
1 quart chicken broth (highly recommend Pacific Free Range brand)
2 lbs. carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1 cup buttermilk
honey, to taste

1 pint whipping cream
zest of one orange
a few drops of orange oil, or, 1 TBSP. orange juice

1. In large cook pot, sauté onion in butter for 10 – 15 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add the ground almonds and the ginger “mash” and sauté 5 to 10 minutes longer.
If ingredients get too dry, add another pat of butter.

2. Add chicken stock to pot and then carrots. Stir and then simmer 30 to 45 minutes, until carrots are tender. If you need more liquid in the pot to cover the carrots, use water.

3. Cool the ingredients until not too hot to handle, then put in batches in a blender and liquefy. Return ingredients to pot.

4. Put soup on low flame and stir in buttermilk, heating to almost boiling.
Season to taste with honey, so the tartness of the buttermilk is balanced.
(You can use regular milk or even cream, but the buttermilk makes the soup
quite distinctive. Omit honey if not using buttermilk.)

Orange Cream
Whip the cream and add the orange oil (or juice) during whipping, then stir in zest, just before serving. Add a dollop of whip cream to soup before serving and if desired, garnish with a sprinkling of ground almonds.

Cook’s note: My favorite way to serve this soup is just warm — not hot, not cold.
It has a slightly chunky texture because of the ground nuts. If you want a totally smooth soup, omit the nuts.