3 C's: Carrots, Curry, Coconut

It was chilly. Rainy. A heavy, unrelenting blanket of grey in the sky. In other words late fall in Portland. My hunger is certainly used to those conditions after a lifetime of experience, and is seemingly undaunted. My brain was listening, and in the post-Thanksgiving need for less indulgence and more rational decision making food-wise, decided soup night was in order. And if you want to eat healthier, what could be better than carrots? Haven't we been drilled since childhood about that? Although I may have some quibble with the supposed effects of improved vision (because I've eaten a shit ton of carrots in my life and my eyes are stubbornly continuing to deteriorate in an alarming manner), this particular recipe I picked up from the NYT cooking site and their formerly resident maven Mark Bittman seemed to fit the current need quite tidily. So onward I went, and after all was (very) easily out together and served, beyond the incredibly good, soul satisfying flavor, my one regret was I didn't make more. When this says "2 servings", it's not kidding. Consider yourself warned!
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Curried Carrot and Coconut Soup
adapted from NY Times/Mark Bittman

ingredients
2 tbl butter
1/2 sweet yellow onion diced
3/4 lb carrots about 5 large, peeled and cut into coins
1 tsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground tumeric
3/4 tsp ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Juice from 1/2 lime + more wedges for serving
Fresh cilantro chopped

method
1-Heat the butter until the foam subsides. Add the diced chopped onions, sprinkle with salt, stir to coat with butter. Add the chopped carrots along with the spices. Stir and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

2-Add the stock; there should be enough to cover the vegetables. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the carrots are cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3-If you have an immersion blender, purée the soup in the pot. If not, wait until the soup cools slightly, and purée in a food processor. Add enough coconut milk (and a little more stock or water if necessary) to bring the soup to the consistency you want. Adjust the seasoning (depending on the stock you use, you may need more or less salt), and lime juice to taste. Garnish and serve.