Today is a day of reflection...thinking of places that no longer exist. I'm grateful to have wonderful memories that can immediately take me to those places in a flash. This all started last week during my visit to New Orleans, when a conversation turned to one of my favorite hotels that no longer exists in NOLA, a Kimpton property, Hotel Monaco. Sharing stories of wonderful experiences last week was almost as good as being there. I happily reflected and will continue to hold those memories dear.
This morning I awakened with thoughts an old favorite that left Atlanta a few years ago, Eatzi's. Man, I LOVED that place!! It was one of the few reasons I didn't mind not being on work travel. Just knowing I could hang out there for lunch, made those "being in the office" days a bit more bearable. As a lover of soups, I quickly became addicted to their carrot ginger soup, among the several other fantastic dishes that Eatzi's created daily. When I couldn't decide what to eat, I always knew I'd be extremely happy with the soup. Nothing else would satisfy me today until I made my version of this wonderfully delicious soup.
This morning I awakened with thoughts an old favorite that left Atlanta a few years ago, Eatzi's. Man, I LOVED that place!! It was one of the few reasons I didn't mind not being on work travel. Just knowing I could hang out there for lunch, made those "being in the office" days a bit more bearable. As a lover of soups, I quickly became addicted to their carrot ginger soup, among the several other fantastic dishes that Eatzi's created daily. When I couldn't decide what to eat, I always knew I'd be extremely happy with the soup. Nothing else would satisfy me today until I made my version of this wonderfully delicious soup.
I'm a purist, of sorts, so I kept the recipe simple. I started with carrots, ginger and small amount of vegetable broth (remember, I don't do much measuring). Don't let these three innocent ingredients fool you. Just allow them to simmer while the carrots and ginger become tender and infuse the broth. Next step, if you have an immersion blender, use it to puree this mixture to a velvety, smooth consistency or you can transfer it to a blender. I wanted mine a little thicker, so I added a couple of plops (yep, that's a word) of plain Greek yogurt, which also provided a nice tartness to offset the natural sweetness of the carrots. Play around with adding more broth, yogurt or cream to get the consistency you like. You can even add a bit of raw sugar or honey if you prefer it sweeter. I topped mine with a few toasted pecans and it was absolutely PERFECT!
The smell alone was enough to immediately send me to the hustle and bustle of being in line at Eatzi's, waiting to place my order. Did I say how much I miss that place?? Well, at least I can get my fix when I'm in Dallas. Hey, don't knock it...I'll travel anywhere for great food!!
Sheila Denise
