Carrot Soup (6 servings)

This is a corruption of the recipe that appears in The Joy of Cooking, but it's a good corruption, in my opinion. Ah, happy accident. Happy distraction. Happy dish for a cold night.

Ingredients:
• 4 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (Pacific Organic stock is well worth the extra money. As a lax vegetarian, I recommend using Pacific's free-range chicken stock for this recipe, as Pacific's veggie stock has an overpowering flavor.)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 or 2 heaping teaspoons peeled, FRESH ginger (No powdered ginger or dessicated root that's been in your freezer for years.)
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 pounds of carrots, chopped
• 1 block silken tofu (optional, for protein) or 1/4 cup milk

Instructions:
Heat 1/4 cup broth and 1 tsp. butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the onion, ginger, and curry powder and cook, covered, under tender but not browned (about 5-10 minutes). Stir in the rest of the stock, the white wine, and the carrots. Cook for about a minute and then add orange juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the carrots are tender — about 15 minutes. Puree the soup (a puree-ing wand tool works best), adding either the milk or the tofu if you want the soup to be creamy. Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve.