Ginger carrot soup

A delicious warmer on a cold winter day. I left out potatoes as I wanted a cleaner, lighter soup as part of a hearty meal, but feel free to add in one small to medium russet potato to thicken the soup.

Ginger carrot soup with pine nuts

Ingredients

3-4 servings

1 tbsp coconut oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
460g carrots, peeled & chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp ginger, peeled & minced
3 C stock (I used the stock from boiling the ham fillet, but chicken or vegetable stock works, too)
1-2 tsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped
pink salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tsp/serving sour cream
pine nuts, toasted if desired, to taste

Method

1. In a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the coconut/olive oil and chopped onions over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to caramelise.
2. Add in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring to avoid burning.
3. Stir in the carrots (and potato if using) and the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the carrots are tender, about 25 minutes. Keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, if desired, in a small sauté pan over high heat, lightly toast the pine nuts. Set aside to cool.
5. Purée the soup with an immersion blender until very smooth (or in a regular blender in batches). Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.
6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and pine nuts.