Finding the right soup

"I want soup," my wife announces decisively when I ask, "What's for dinner?" On this cold and rainy November day, soup sounds like an appropriate choice to warm my chilled bones and revitalize my dampened soul. The heavy autumn mist cancels my plan to hunt for venison and I am disappointed. With nothing to do, and a rumble in my tummy, a warm bowl of soup sounds perfect.

I agree with her choice and we hop in her Mini Cooper and head downtown. The first restaurant we stop at has a soup special printed on the sandwich board - cheddar cheese beer soup with prosciutto. My wife does not eat meat so this restaurant is out.

Traveling uptown we stop at another cafe and ask if their famous clam chowder contains bacon. It does so our search continues. Our last stop is a restaurant which we eat at weekly which always has a delicious soup special but today we pass on the Mexican pork soup.

Frustrated, hungry and a bit grumpy we head for the market. "Why don't you make some soup," my wife asks.

"Because it takes two hours and I'm hungry now," I snap back. Realizing my wife seldom asks me to cook for her and knowing she loves my carrot ginger soup I stop, smile and offer, "Sorry; of course I will make you soup." We finish shopping, buy a few snacks to eat while the soup cooks and head home.

Rain continues to pour from the sky as we grab an umbrella and head for the garden. The green tops of the carrots proudly rise from the garden bed announcing the last of this summer's bounty. My wife holds the umbrella over my head as I pull 30 carrots from the ground, lightly hit each one against the wood bed to release the unwanted dirt, and place the orange, purple and white root vegetables into the garden basket.

Cooking soup on a cold November day with vegetables pulled from the garden does something for one's soul - smelling the earth, cubing and dicing fresh vegetables, garlic and onions sweating in butter - I feel warm. Forgotten is my hunting trip, being disappointed by the lack of vegetarian soup options served locally and my grumbly tummy. Important is my wife and I sharing laughs and stories in the kitchen over the smell of carrot ginger soup. This day I will remember forever.

The following recipe creates a creamy, thick and rich soup which is healthy and hearty. I use potatoes instead of cream to thicken this soup. The potatoes add a nice consistency to the soup while avoiding the use of heavy cream found in most soups. I also use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for the health benefit of the yogurt and I believe it tastes better.

Carrot ginger soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

2 yellow onions, peeled and chopped

6 cups vegetable stock

2 pounds carrots, peeled and cubed

3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or more if you want it spicier)

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 stocks of celery, chopped

4 small Yukon gold potatoes

Croutons

Olive oil

1 cup heavy cream (optional-used instead of potatoes)

Salt and white pepper to taste

Greek yogurt

Chives, snipped

Directions

In a 6-quart pan, over medium high heat, add butter, garlic and onions and cook, stirring often until onions are translucent. Add stock, carrots, celery and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are firm but penetrable when pierced. Add potatoes and continue cooking until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Don't fill the blender more than halfway. Cover the blender and hold a kitchen towel over the top of the blender. Be careful when blending hot liquids as the mixture can spurt from the blender. Pulse the blender to start then puree until smooth. Return to the pan and add cream (if desired), stir over medium heat until hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt, croutons, chives and drizzle with olive oil.

Send comments or other suggestions to William Rutherford at bprutherford@hotmail.com or visit pensiveparenting.com.