who doesn't like the gingers?

in keeping with my goal # 6 to eat more balanced, regular meals (and the recap of the disaster of pub food that was last week), i made a delicious dinner tonight.  my sister, who can sniff out a piece of ginger from a mile away, would certainly not agree, but i thought this soup was rather tasty (and not to mention, so easy) and whipped up a salad to go with it.

ginger carrot soup

3 tbsp butter or olive oil

3 leeks, white part and 2 inches of green, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 hand of ginger, cut into 8 pieces

2 pounds of carrots, trimmed, peeled, and chopped

1 russet potato, peeled and quartered

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups chicken stock

minced green onion for garnish

1 - in a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
2 - add the leeks and onion and cook, stirring often, until soft (about 10 minutes)
3 - add the ginger, carrots, and potato, season with salt and pepper, and stir with a wooden spoon to mix together.
4 - pour in the stock, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
5 - reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and summer until the carrots are very soft (about an hour).
6 - remove from the heat and remove and discard the ginger.
7 - let the soup cool slightly and process until very smooth in a food prcessor or blender.
8 - season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with sprinkle of green onions.

my basic stand-by greek salad

put the following in a bowl, after chopping to your preferred size:

tomatoes

red onion

cucumber (but not too many or they are always left over)

red or yellow pepper

add:

capers (or olives, if you like those better or are in an olive mood)

oregano (this is essential)

salt & pepper

feta cheese (the kind in the brine that gets a bit gooey)

make a simple dressing with lemon juice and olive oil in equal parts and drizzle over the rest.

i didn't take any photos, but i think i will make this for a friend later this week so perhaps i can get a few snaps then.

i adapted the soup recipe from The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook, which also says you can add sour cream as a garnish or serve it cool.

if you like the flavour of ginger, you will enjoy this soup.  if, however, you are like my sister, and can pick out ginger in anything, i would suggest staying far away from this soup or anyone cooking it.  the finished product has quite the bite and the green onion garnish is perfect to cool a burning palate.

yum.