Marise’s Carrot and Ginger Soup

September 4, 2015

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Hi Everyone! Happy September! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! There’s been a crisp chill in the air, the changing autumn leaves have been absolutely stunning, and I love the smell of pumpkin spice throughout the house. Ok, really, I get it! I live in Florida, it’s 110 degrees outside with 150% humidity, but like every September, I bump the holiday season up a few months, pretend I don’t walk outside and get attacked by mosquitoes, and there are no hurricane warnings. In keeping with my delusion, I will be hosting my 7th annual Autumn Feast, in which I cook an entire Thanksgiving Day dinner for all my family, extended family, and friends, decorate our home in autumn decorations, and force everyone to wear sweaters, knee high boots, and flannels. It’s a great time! Every year I make this amazing soup as an appetizer that my best friend’s mom, Marise, made for us when we were in veterinary school. She’s an amazing cook and was a huge inspiration for me when I was in school. Her recipe is to die for delicious, and even better it is made of all the best fall produce (sweet potatoes, carrots, ginger). Here’s how it goes:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger
1 onion chopped
8 carrots, grated coarsely
2 large sweet potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 cups of chicken stock

Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a large sauce pan or dutch oven.

Sauté onion and ginger in oil until lightly golden (about 7 minutes).

Add sweet potato and carrots and stir for a few minutes to coat with the oil.

Add the 8 cups of chicken broth.

Add the sugar and salt.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until carrots are soft.

Adjust seasoning (sometimes I need to add a bit more sugar to sweeten the soup).

Using an immersion blender (my favorite cooking tool), blend the soup until completely smooth. You can also use a blender. Just transfer the soup in batches to the blender (you never want to over fill a blender with hot liquid and turn it on…..BIG KITCHEN MISTAKE!)

Here are a few tips on serving soups:

I love to serve soups in mini soup bowls with mini spoons as an appetizer. Soups can be filling, so this is a great way to give your guests a small starter, but not fill them up so they do not have room for the main entree.
Soups are the only food that I will keep on the stove on low and serve to my guests when it’s time to serve. I try and have most of my recipes pre-made and sitting out already.
I love to make mini croutons and place them on top of the soup. This is great recipe for croutons!
If you want to make a different soup, a huge hit at parties are tomato soup and mini grilled cheese sandwiches. Yummy!
With more causal parties, I will place the soup in a slow cooker on warm, put the bowls and spoons next to the soup, and let my guest serve themselves.

I absolutely cannot say enough amazing things about this recipe. It’s always a hit at my dinners and I love all the fall flavors. For me, I associate food with making memories, people, and time periods. This soup always represents Autumn Feast, which kick starts the holiday season (well for me at least). It’s chilly outside! Don’t forget your light wrap when you go outside!