Spiced organic carrot soup

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings


For the fall installment of our "Season by Season" series written by Bill Daley, chef Bruce Sherman of Chicago's North Pond restaurant developed this unique soup flavored with ginger and coriander.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 piece ( 1/2 inch long) ginger root, chopped
1/2 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 pound organic carrots, thinly sliced
1 head fennel, white bulb only, cored, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground pepper, ground coriander
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1/2 stick ( 1/4 cup) butter, cubed


1. Heat the oil in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium-high heat; add shallot, garlic, ginger and celery. Cook, stirring, until slightly softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the carrots, fennel, salt and pepper. Cook until the carrots and fennel begin to soften but do not brown, about 6 minutes.

2. Stir in the coriander; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the carrots and fennel pieces can be easily mashed, about 25 minutes.

3. Puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor. Pulse in pieces of butter, one at a time, until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer into the saucepan; heat over medium heat, about 3 minutes.

Nutrition information per serving: 239 calories, 59% of calories from fat, 16 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 1,121 mg sodium, 5 g fiber