Carrot Soup with Orange and Ginger

I'm posting this because the girls' babysitter liked it and asked how it was made.  I've been wanting to eat soup lately and I couldn't find my Taste of Home soup magazine that I bought a few years ago, so I dropped by Half Price Books and bought 'Williams-Sonoma Soup' which surprisingly (at least to me) was the only cookbook dedicated to soup that they had.  I let the nerdlet choose the soup and not as surprising since carrots are one of her very favorite foods, she chose the carrot soup.

Carrot Soup with Orange and Ginger

3 T olive oil
2 leeks, including tender green parts, thinly sliced (mine were very large)
1 lb carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (I used 1 1/4 lb)
1/2 lb red potato, peeled and thinly sliced (I used 3/4 pound various fingerling potatoes and didn't bother to peel them)
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I used chicken)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 t orange zest
salt and freshly ground white pepper (I used black pepper)
garnish with thin orange slices and fresh mint sprigs (I didn't bother)

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Sauté leeks until slightly softened.  Add carrots, potato, & ginger until just softened (~5 min.).

Add the stock, cover partially, and simmer 'til the veggies are completely soft ~20 min.  Remove from heat.

In blender, purée the soup in batched, leaving some texture and return to pan.  Return soup to medium heat, add orange juice and zest.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4-6 servings (according to them).


It really tastes like carrot with a little more tangy-ness and bite.  I was worried it would be sweet, but it was equal to or less sweet than a fresh carrot.  I will likely make it again at some point in the future, even if as I suspect, the nerdlet and I are the only ones that end up eating it.