Ginger Carrot Soup

Create this rich & fragrant Ginger Carrot Soup with Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc!

Ingredients:

• 2 large or 4 small yellow onions (about 1 ½ lbs.), peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• ½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. sea salt (for sweating the onions)
• 1 ½ tsp. finely minced ginger (about a 1-inch knob), packed lightly to measure
• ¼ tsp. ground coriander
• 2 ½ lbs. organic heirloom carrots (about 15 7-inch carrots), washed, peeled, sliced into ¼-inch thick coins
• 7 cups water
• 4 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
• garnishes to serve: crème fraiche, orange oil, flaky sea salt such as Pacific Blue, minced chives

Directions:

Pour the olive oil into a 6-quart capacity stockpot placed over medium heat and when the oil is hot and shimmering, add the onions and the 1tsp. Kosher salt.

Stir to coat the onions evenly with the oil, put a lid on the pot, and cook the onions slowly til they reduce by about half and become jammy and very soft without coloring (takes about 40-45 minutes), stirring occasionally and lowering the heat if necessary to prevent browning.

When the onions are ready remove lid, raise the heat and add the ginger and coriander. Cook and stir until fragrant.

Add carrots, water, and remaining 4tsp. (or to taste) Kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, over, and let cook gently til the carrots are very, very tender, about 1 hour. Let cook uncovered for the last 15 minutes reduce the liquid slightly. Remove from heat.

Pureé the soup in batches in a blender at high speed. For safety purposes, fill the jar no more than halfway and hold the lid down securely with the palm of your hand (protect your hand by holding a towel between your hand and the lid) while the machine is running. You should need all the cooking liquid to achieve a good soup consistency, but you can also hold back a little bit of the liquid as you are processing the solids and adjust the consistency and thickness to your liking after all the solids have been pureéd.

Transfer the soup to a metal or other conductive container, set the container in a larger bowl filled with ice and water, and chill the soup before serving. Garnish as desired with orange oil, crème fraiche, chives, and salt.