All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Sunday, November 4, 2012

fresh carrot and gingerroot soup (with parmesan crisps)






It is suddenly mitten and hat weather, to go along with wear-a-red-jacket weather, since I'm never sure if it's hunting season.  Hurricane Sandy brought a sleepless night, lots of rain, trees falling, and power failures everywhere.  Happily, we were back up and running in 24 hours with no damage aside from a little flooding.  Nothing, nothing like the scenes I see in New York and New Jersey, and I know we were very lucky.  

The election is looming, and with NH a battleground state, the phone has been ringing - A LOT.  Most of us in New Hampshire love our politics, and get intensely involved, but also avoid political conversation with friends who are on a different side - an oddity I never saw in my home state of Massachusetts.  I suppose when you live in the country, you do your best to get along with your neighbor, since you might need him in mud season.

And it is finally, really, soup weather.  A robust, colorful, warming soup is what I wanted, and I think this gorgeously orange carrot soup simmered with fresh gingerroot was just right.  The ginger leaves a warm tingle long after you've finished, softer than hot sauce.
I also made some crispy parmesan crisps, as light as feathers and very fragile, just for fun, to crumble into the soup.  The carrot soup couldn't be easier - just simmer all the ingredients in a pot, puree, and serve with a sprinkle of dill and parsley, or a sliver of parmesan cheese.  

Carrot and gingerroot soup:

2 cups water
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 t. thyme
1 1/2 cups peeled, sliced carrots
1 stalk celery, washed and sliced (include leaves if they have them)
1 heaping tablespoon fresh peeled ginger, sliced or diced
salt and pepper to taste
fresh dill and parsley for garnish
shaving of parmesan for garnish

In a saucepan, bring all the ingredients to a simmer, and cook 20-30 minutes, or until carrots are soft.  Remove from heat.  Puree with an immersion blender or a regular blender.  Garnish and serve.





Parmesan crisps:
I used a microplane to shred the parmesan.  I tried both coarsely grated parmesan and the fluffier microplaned and liked the microplaned better.  

Parmesan cheese, microplaned
Dried basil to sprinkle on top of the mounds

Line a baking sheet with clean foil.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Use a soup spoon or a very small ice cream scoop to scoop up the fluffy cheese and make mounds, 6 or 8 to a sheet.  Leave two inches between the mounds.  Sprinkle a pinch of basil on each mound.
Bake for 6 minutes in hot oven, remove, cool briefly, and using a spatula, remove the crisps from the foil, placing directly on a flat plate before serving.  They are very delicate and lacy - and delicious.


Happy November!


6 comments:

Kate said...

Katrina!
You made my day seeing your post ;) I've been hoping you were well and not still fighting a cold.
Soup is on my menu, radar and dreams... chilly weather mades me want soothing broth and veggies. I can skip the meat or poultry because i always feel a veggie deficit in the winter. I have decided a big pot of soup once a week will get me through the doldrums of darker days and nights.
This soup will be a welcomed addition to my rotation!
It's a funny beast, politics. Everyone loves their first amendment rights until someone voices an opposing view ;)
Thanks.....
blessings

katrina said...

Thanks, Kate - and delighted you like the soup! I think I eat more vegetables in winter, both in soups and as sides, and because, of course, they keep me warm:) I'm trying to scale down on the big pots of soup - I guess I'm still thinking my children are around, and hungry. I do tuck a few small containers in the freezer - great when we had the Sandy blackout - just heated them on the woodstove.
Ah, politics. We shall see what Tuesday night brings...

Marianne said...

Lovely post as always, Katrina! Your recipes are always inspired and inspiring! And such beautiful photos.

My son and DIL live in Manhattan, but were spared flooding and loss of power. They were able to return to work last Thursday. Wish that all could have been so fortunate.

katrina said...

Thank you for your always kind words, Marianne! I'm so relieved your son and daughter in law were spared - sad for those who didn't survive, and proud of the "can-do" attitude of the New Yorkers. They have so much spirit and optimism!

Barb said...

I was so happy to know you didn't have too much trouble from Sandy. My heart, prayers and thoughts go out to those who suffered so much.

As always, this soup looks so delicious. My husband isn't a big fan of carrots, but this soup may be a way to 'sneak' them in. (He likes almost every other vegetable so I have to let carrots slide a little :).). As for the Parmesan crisps - those look dangerous - I know I'll want to eat way too many of them! (Will power may not be my strongest asset.)

Happy post-election day to you!

katrina said...

Happy day after to you, too, Barb! I can't imagine hating carrots: green beans, yes, okra, yes, -I can even understand SOME people who don't like eggplant, but cooked carrots are so lovely! You can also use half carrots/half peeled parsnips for a lovely earthy taste. Thanks for swinging by - snow expected tonight!