Curried Carrot Soup Recipe

Shauna Ahern, The Gluten-Free Girl, is an amazing person, an amazing writer, and an amazing cook. Add to that, a very talented husband chef, and you have a winning combination, and a great book.

Adapted from A Gluten-Free Girl, by Shauna James Ahern (Wiley, 2007)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves hard-neck garlic - smashed
6 large carrots - peeled, quartered, and diced
1 medium white onion - peeled and diced
2 stalks celery - cut lengthwise and diced
1 stalk lemongrass (optional) - root end removed and stalk smashed and chopped
1/2 apple - cored and diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup sweet white wine
1 can (12 oz) coconut milk
1 piece ginger - about 1 inch - peeled and chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
juice of 1 lemon - strained of pulp and seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil over high heat in stockpot, then add garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to ensure the garlic does not burn. Add diced carrots, onions, celery and lemongrass. Turn the heat down to medium. Cook the vegetables, stirring as you go, for 5-6 minutes, or until they are soft.

2. Add the apple and cook for 1 minute. Add the curry powder and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to ensure the curry powder does not burn. Deglaze pot with wine.

3. Simmer for 7 minutes. Pour coconut milk in stockpot, then add enough cold water to cover the vegetables by 2 inches. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add ginger.

4. Puree soup in a blender and strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour the soup back into the pot. Add cream. Bring soup to a boil. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and sugar. Whisk in the butter. Serve immediately.

serves 6-8