Roasted Carrot Soup


Ingredients

6 to 8 large carrots (about 1 3/4 pounds)

¼ cup olive oil

Salt, coarsely ground black pepper

6 cups vegetable stock (good quality, not too high in sodium)

1 piece ginger, an inch long, peeled

1 sprig thyme, plus more for garnish

½ large sweet onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

2 additional large carrots, cut into small matchsticks, roast like the other carrots but for only a few minutes, WATCH CAREFULLY

 

Instructions

Peel and cut the carrots into ½ inch rounds.On a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler.Broil the carrots until they brown and soften, turning them over with a spatula every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil, add the ginger and the sprig of thyme and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Put the onion in a medium stock pot with the remaining olive oil.Brown the onion over medium heat, stirring frequently.Add the garlic, and then the carrots.

Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock.Add the stock to the pot with the onions and carrots.Bring to boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to puree.Use an immersion blender/regular blender/food processor to puree the mixture until smooth.If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Add coarsely ground black pepper to taste and salt if needed. To serve, garnish with roasted matchstick carrots and chopped fresh thyme.