Carrot season is here! Besides being sweet, crunchy, and great in soups, carrots are packed with beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. That’s what helps your eyes adjust better in dim light. A Hungarian saying goes, “Eat lots of carrots so you’ll learn to whistle!” — but the truth is, carrots won’t help with whistling… they’ll just help you see better at dusk.
One of my favorite starters is carrot soup with ginger and orange. I like it when it’s so thick that the spoon almost sticks in it. Here’s how I make it.
Details
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 0.5 kg carrots
- 1 onion
- Juice of 1 orange (0.5–0.8 dl)
- Zest of 1 orange (about 1 teaspoon grated)
- 10 g freshly grated ginger
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 0.5 liter water
Instructions
In a pot of about 2 liters, sauté the finely chopped onion in oil (about 5 minutes). Add the thinly sliced carrots and fry them for another 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil (e.g., in a kettle), then pour it over the carrots. Add the stock cube and the ginger. Simmer for 40 minutes over low heat (don’t let it boil vigorously—on an induction stove, the “6th sense” mode works well).
Blend the softened carrots in a blender, adding the grated orange zest and orange juice while mixing. Season with salt and pepper to taste, or leave it as is.
Notes
Serve in soup mugs with a dollop of sour cream and pumpkin seeds, optionally garnished with parsley leaves.