Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup

Serves 8

Sweet carrot and peppery ginger are a can’t-miss marriage that’s enhanced here by roasting the carrots before making the soup. Because carrots and ginger are so inexpensive, and there are few other ingredients to buy, this recipe promises one of the most impressive cost-to-taste ratios of all time. If you want to make it even easier, don’t roast the carrots; simply cut the raw, peeled carrots into small dice, omit Steps one and two, and add them to the pot along with the ginger and bay leaf in Step four. If you do this, increase the cooking time to forty-five minutes.

A blender will give you the silkiest possible soup here, but you could also use an immersion blender or food processor.

 

2 pounds carrots (about 4 large carrots), peeled and trimmed

¹/₄ cup olive oil

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sugar, if needed

1 medium Spanish onion, peeled and cut into small dice

1 stalk celery, cut into small dice

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 bay leaf

1¹/₂ quarts store-bought, reduced-sodium vegetable broth or homemade Vegetable Stock

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Fried Shallots, optional

 

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. Rub the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, rotating the carrots to season all over. If the carrots seem dry or lack a bright orange color, season with a few pinches of sugar as well. Place the sheet in the oven and roast the carrots, shaking the sheet occasionally to turn them, until quite tender, about 1 hour. (Test for doneness by piercing the carrots with a sharp, thin-bladed knife; they’re done when it pierces right through to their center.) Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the carrots cool slightly. Trim and discard any overcaramelized bits and cut the carrots into 1-inch segments.

3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until hot but not yet smoking. Add the onion and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the carrots, ginger, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the broth, bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat, partially cover, and simmer until the carrots begin to break apart when prodded with a spoon, about 30 minutes.

5. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to fish out and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender, add the butter, and process for several minutes, until uniformly smooth and creamy. You may need to do this in batches (see safety tip). If not serving immediately, let cool, cover, and refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to 1 month.

6. Return the soup to the pot and reheat gently. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt, pepper, and sugar, if necessary. (Don’t be shy with the sugar, this soup should be unabashedly sweet.)

7. To serve, ladle some soup into each of 8 bowls and garnish with fried shallots, if desired.

VARIATIONS

Roasted Carrot, Ginger, and Shellfish Soup

For a soup that could be enjoyed as a light meal, poach 2 pounds of shelled, deveined shrimp in simmering water until firm and pink, 3 to 5 minutes, or cook and remove the meat from three 1-pound lobsters (for instructions), and cut it into ¹/₂-inch pieces. Divide the shellfish among the bowls before ladling the soup over it. Feel free to cook and cool the shellfish in advance; the hot soup will reheat the meat. Alternatively, you can place 2 ounces of cleaned, fresh crabmeat in each bowl.

Roasted Parsnip and Ginger Soup

If you love parsnips, use them here. Simply replace the carrots with an equal quantity of parsnips. Look for smaller parsnips, which have less tuberous fiber in the center and puree more easily. Depending on their size, parsnips roast more quickly than carrots; check them after 40 minutes. For a slightly sweeter soup, use 1 pound each of carrots and parsnips.