Carrot Ginger Soup

Our crew leader, Anna, shared this recipe, and the soup, with us this fall. Anna worked as a pastry chef in New York before moving back to Maine. She says: “Use the sweetest carrots you can find for this soup, which is light and vegan but has a ton of body from the sheer amount of carrot that goes into it. Perfect with a hunk of buttered bread.”

Ingredients

2 Tbsp canola or other neutral oil

2 medium shallots, sliced

1 large clove garlic, smashed

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground coriander

4 lb. carrots, cut into roughly 1” dice

2 quarts water

1 bay leaf

¾ oz. fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

⅛ oz. fresh turmeric, peeled

Salt & pepper, to taste

Celery salt, dried dill, cayenne to taste (optional)

In a large pot, combine oil, shallots, garlic, allspice, cumin and coriander and cook over low, sweating the alliums and toasting the spices. Once shallots and garlic are very soft and translucent and coriander gives off a toasty smell, add carrots, water, bay leaf, ginger and turmeric, and allow to come to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, reduce heat to low and cover to simmer until carrots are soft but not mushy, about 20-30 min. Remove bay leaf and puree all contents of the pot, while hot, in batches in a blender. Season to taste. Garnish with toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds and crispy shallots or fried onions. Cayenne and/or ground ginger may need to be added to soup upon reheating as the ginger loses its bite over time.