Nothing says comfort food like soup (though Chicken Pot Pie is competitive!). Although I love experimenting with new soups, I have a handful of recipes I generally return to during winter months. Aside from my Pantry Chowder, the biggest hit is the Carrot Ginger soup. Here's what you need:

8 carrots, peeled and diced
1 diced yellow onion
1 sliced shallot
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups Chicken Broth (recipe for homemade version here)
1 ¼ cup milk
1/2 tsp ground ginger
salt & white pepper to taste
parsley or cilantro for garnish - optional

Roughly chop onions and shallots and sauté with butter over medium low heat.

Next, chop garlic and add during the last couple of minutes of the onion/shallot sauté. Cook until tender and translucent. You don’t want the onions getting brown because it will change the color of the soup! This usually takes 10 -12 minutes.

Dice the carrots. Add the chicken broth and carrots to the onion mixture. Add salt and white pepper (again, you don’t want black specs floating around in your soup, so definitely use white pepper!) to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low/simmer. Cook until softened, about 20 minutes longer. You'll know the carrots are ready when they smash easily. I always test a few!Working in batches, remove the carrots and onions from the broth (strain or use a slotted spoon) and put in a food processor, food mill, or blender.Purée until smooth.Return the purée to the saucepan with the broth. Heat over low heat. Add the milk and ginger. Adjust salt and pepper seasoning to taste. Serve with garnish on the side.

Enjoy! Stay warm!

Carrot Ginger Soup