Spicy Carrot Ginger Soup

Soups are so warming and comforting in winter. This creamy yet bright soup features sweet carrots, stewed with ginger and jalapeño and finished with a good squeeze of lime and a handful of chopped cilantro. You can also swap out carrots with kabocha or butternut squash if you’d like. This soup work as a great starter for a holiday meal or as a main course during the week when paired with a crusty whole wheat loaf of bread. Carrots are highly nutritious, containing high levels of vitamin A, antioxidants and potassium. They are best known as a great source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that protects against chronic diseases, including cancer.  

Makes: 5 servings
Time to cook: 55 minutes

Ingredients

· 6 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt

· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

· 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced (about 1½ cups)

· 6 garlic cloves

· Salt and pepper

· 2 pounds carrots, preferably young, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick (about 4 cups)

· 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and sliced

· 1 (2-inch) chunk of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced, plus 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh

· 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, plus more as needed

· ½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream

· 1 tablespoon very finely sliced chives

· 1 small bunch cilantro

· 1 teaspoon lime zest

· 1 tablespoon lime juice 

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until onion and garlic have softened, about 10 minutes. Don’t let the mixture brown.

2. Add carrots, jalapeño and sliced ginger, and stir to coat. Add a little more salt. Turn heat to high, add 6 cups broth and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a brisk simmer and cook until carrots are completely tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the stove and let cool to room temperature, if possible.

3. While soup cools, make the ginger-chive cream: Combine the crème fraîche, grated ginger and chives with a pinch of salt in a small bowl.

4. When cool, transfer the soup to a blender (in batches, if necessary) and purée. Taste and adjust salt, and add as much additional broth as necessary to achieve the consistency of heavy cream; the soup should not be thick.

5. To serve, reheat soup over low heat. Check for seasoning and adjust. Roughly chop leaves and tender stems of cilantro, leaving aside a few sprigs for garnish. Stir lime juice and zest and 1 cup chopped cilantro into the soup. There should be little green flecks throughout the soup (cooling the soup first keeps cilantro fresher tasting). Ladle into bowls and top each serving with a spoonful of the ginger-chive cream and a few stems of cilantro.

Nutrition per serving
163 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugar; 2 grams protein; 690 milligrams sodium

Recipe from David Tanis (NY Times)