Carrot Ginger Soup

I got this from a book that we've had for years now, "The Complete Book of 400 Soups."  And make no mistake, that is no typo.  Four Hundred.  Guess who's making more soups for you this winter?

Ingredients

2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
1.5 lb. carrots, chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh root ginger
5 cups chicken stock
7 tbsp. heavy whipping cream or greek yogurt (optional)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, if on hand. (If not, ground will do)
1 tsp. cumin
Salt, Pepper to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes (optional)


Directions


Melt the butter, add the onion and celery, and cook for five minutes over medium-high heat, and sprinkle some salt on as well.  Then stir in the potato, carrots, ginger, and stock, and a dash of red pepper flakes if you wish to add some kick.  Bring to a boil.  Next, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Pour the soup into the food processor (you may have to do this in batches if you have a small food processor, like mine), and blend until smooth.  Return the completely blended soup to the pan, and stir in nutmeg, cumin, salt, and pepper to your liking.  Add the cream if you wish, however, I added a dollop of Greek yogurt to the soup in my bowl, with a spattering of sliced almonds toasted with cumin on top, and it was out of this world. Healthier than cream, too.  Serve hot and enjoy!