Many moons ago, I was on television appearing with a man who has since gone to greater fame as a regular on the Fox series 24 (OK, his name is Carlo Rota). Mr. Rota nabbed the spot as host of the Great Canadian Food Show… I came in second (the bridesmaid) and was offered the two-minute "Spirited Cooking" segment.
Cooking with Alcohol
By "Spirited" – we meant alcohol. Every recipe had alcohol in it. I recall Vodka Cream Penne, Cedar Salmon Marinated in Brandy, Chocolate Rum Cake and a rather catastrophic segment involving the flambéeing of shallots and jumbo shrimp (the out takes would be worth millions now). I am mortally afraid of fire.
Here's a terrific ginger soup (inspired by Cooking with Booze by Ryan Jennings and David Steele) involving a magnificent spirit: Drambuie. By the way, Drambuie is made in Scotland from aged malt whiskey and a blend of secret ingredients – said to be heather, honey and perhaps saffron, anise and nutmeg.
What's so Asian about ginger? Well, besides appearing in tons of Asian recipes, it did originate in southern China and spread to India, South-East Asia (Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos) and the Caribbean before the rest of the world caught up.
Curious about other soup meals, check out Black Bean Soup, Glass Noodle Soup and Japanese Fox Noodles.
CARROT, GINGER AND DRAMBUIE SOUP
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 lb carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 1 - 2 tsp shredded ginger
- 1 stick celery, chopped
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups orange juice
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups light cream (18%)
- 1/4 cup Drambuie
METHOD
- Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and ginger. Saute for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Reduce to medium and cook until water evaporates and carrots caramelize.
- De-glaze the pan with vegetable stock. Add bay leaves. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves and add juice, sugar, salt and cayenne. Puree in batches in a blender. Add cream and simmer for 15 minutes. Add Drambuie and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls. Serve with warm bread.
6 SERVINGS
******************************************************************************************************************
FYI, ginger has a myriad of uses. It is used as flavouring in cookies, candy and cake as well as ginger beer and a liqueur in China called "Canton." In the Middle East, it's a spice for coffee while in India, a mixture of ginger powder, gum resin, ghee, nuts and sugar is given to a woman after she delivers a child.
