Carrot Ginger Soup

When I was a child there was this irritating radio jingle for the local grocery store’s bake-it-yourself pizza. I still sing it in my head when I am thinking of pizza. I love pizza more than I love a lot of things. I love it around the same amount that I love Well Fed. The best cookbook on the planet. You see, I bought the PDF last year, but it was so damned nice that I needed to buy the hard copy when I finally had a chance to get it in the USA. Of course, right after I ordered it Amazon marked it down. Bleh. STILL worth it. A phenomenal cookbook.

Speaking of which, this recipe is from Well Fed. Meatza is a versatile recipe that can hit the spot when all I really want is some damned pizza. The Mexican version pictured if you click the link is next on my hit list. One of my favourite things about Well Fed is its flexibility and inspiration in “You know how you could do that?” – suggestions to doctor the recipe to your tastes. Because a recipe is just that: a guideline. Follow your tastes and preferences to make the perfect meal.

And that’s what I did tonight. I used the recipe as inspiration and made my own Meatza. I only wondered why it has taken me so long to try this. Awesome idea.

I made the “crust” by mixing italian sausage seasoning with ground beef and spreading it on a stoneware pan. I popped this in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

It came out looking like a meat pancake. Not too appetizing….

I spread some tomato sauce (homemade from the freezer) on…

Gathered up some toppings. I chose red pepper, olives, onion and basil

Layered them on with some cheese. Yes, cheese. Blasphemy. I love cheese. Cheese hates me, but I love cheese. We’re in this torrid relationship that I just can’t escape. Delicious.

Back into the oven for another 15 minutes and out comes a delicious MEAT PIZZA!

Magnifique! This actually had enough structure to it that I could pick up a slice and eat it with my hands. I was quite impressed and happy with it. Why, oh why did I take so long to make it? Definite make again. Maybe even this week…

Have you ever made a blended soup? No? Why not? So easy. One of my favourite ways to get vegetables into me, freezer friendly, portable and delicious! I tend to just make up the recipe as I go, just as I did today.

Carrot Ginger Soup. Makes one large-ish pot. How many bowls? Depends on how big your bowls are. Ha!

3lb bag of carrots
a large onion
a large chunk of ginger
a big spoon of ground coriander
8c (or so) of broth – chicken or vegetable; homemade or from a box – doesn’t really matter.
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Peel your carrots, ginger and onion.

Toss onion and ginger into the food processor to chop.

Put onion and ginger mixture in a pan with olive oil over medium heat to soften.

Grate your carrot with the food processor

Add the carrots and your broth to the pot. Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until it’s all soft

Puree with an immersion blender. (or you could dump it all into the food processor or a real blender, but why?). Add a bit of water or broth to thin the consistency, if required.

And eat. You can top with chopped cilantro, a drizzle of sour cream, some salt and pepper. This soup has a real zing to it because of the enormous amount of ginger. It’s simple and delicious flavours at their best. Good food does not need to be complicated and difficult. I froze most of this soup for busy weeknight dinners once my next semester begins (I work full time and go to grad school full time….)

I also packaged a few servings of soup into mason jars for lunches to take to work. Mason jars make awesome packed lunch containers. Take off the lid, drape a paper towel or napkin over it to prevent splatter, and microwave. Glass won’t leach crap into your food, nor will it break down from the heat.