To generously serve 4-5

2 pounds of orange/red carrots – skin peeled and cubed into 2” cubes
1 cup of chopped celery
1 med onion (White, Spanish, sweet)
2 Tbsp of ginger – skin peeled and grated
2 Bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups of good broth (veggie/chicken)
¼ – ½ cup of half n’ half/ full cream (optional to just add some luxurious texture and creaminess to the soup)
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp OO
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter and oil together in a deep pot on medium heat. (The oil prevents the butter from burning). Sautee the onions in it for about 3-4 minutes till they turn pink and lose the raw smell.
Do not brown/caramelize. Add the carrots and celery and let cook for 4-5 minutes till the veggies are a bit limp. This will help release the natural aroma from the veggies. Add the spices and the broth. Lower to heat to a low-medium and cover the pot. Cook for about 30-35 minutes till the veggies are fork tender. (Almost mushy).
Add the cream and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Season with salt and pepper. Remove the cinnamon and the bay leaves.

Use hand blender/ stand up blender to puree the soup to a soup consistency.

Serve with parsley pesto.
Parsley Pesto

To serve as a garnish for 4-5 people 1 cup of parsley chopped 2 Tbsp of shaved good aged parmesan 2 Tbsp of roughly chopped walnuts ¼-1/3 cup of OO (Increase the quantity depending on the fluidity preference) Salt and pepper Blend all the above to a semi-solid consistency.