Creamy Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

7 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
4 tblsp butter
2 lbs fresh carrots, peeled
3 leeks, sliced in half lengthways and thoroughly cleaned
1 sweet potato, peeled
4 stalks celery
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 pint double cream

How to make:

• In a large pot, bring stock to a boil.
  
  
• Chop all vegetables into small pieces (approximately 1/2 inch cubes).
  
  
• In a sauté pan, over medium high heat, melt half of the butter. sauté vegetables with ginger and nutmeg for approximately 15 minutes, or until vegetables are browned. Add remaining butter as needed.
  
  
• Add sautéed vegetables to stock, reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.
  
  
• Let cool to room temperature and then puree in a blender. Soup should be thick and smooth.
  
  
• Add salt and pepper.
  
  
• To serve, add approximately 1 tablespoon of cream per serving and reheat. Do not let boil.
  
  
• Serve in warmed bowls.

Notes:

• Browning the vegetables before simmering them brings out their naturally sweet flavours. The browner (without burning), the better.
  
  
• Vegetable sautéing may require two pans.
  
  
• Adding the cream at the reheating stage, rather than all at once, extends the refrigerator life of the soup.
  
  
• If you attempt to puree soup before it has cooled down, the top of the blender will blow so wait until it cools.