Carrot Soup with Miso and Sesame

Usually, recipe writers urge you to season food throughout, building layers of flavor. Here, don’t. The miso we add at the end is very salty and it’s safest to decide how much seasoning your soup needs after that.

Note: This soup is “gluten-free” with a large caveat, and that is that most miso is in part from barley and is not gluten-free. You will need to seek out a miso brand — such as this shiro miso from Eden — that is clearly marked as such for it to be good to go.

Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 regular or 6 small garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated ginger, or more to taste (it could easily be doubled)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup white miso paste, or more to taste

To finish

• Drizzle of toasted sesame oil
• 2 scallions, very thinly sliced

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic sauté until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add broth and ginger. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Puree soup in batches in blender, or all at once with an immersion blender. In a small bowl, whisk together the miso an a half-cup of the soup. Stir the mixture back into the pot of soup. Taste the soup and season with salt, pepper or additional miso to taste.
Ladle into bowls and garnish each with a drizzle of sesame oil and small mound of scallions.