Great Soup Recipe

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I haven't posted any recipes recently, but I made this soup over the holidays and want to share it. Its a Carrot and Sunchoke Soup recipe that I found on another blog called theomnivoressolution.com. The author has the following comments on the recipe:

"In this soup, the sweetness of carrots and the nuttiness of sunchokes predominate, accented by cardamom, nutmeg, fresh ginger, and the bright taste of a pink lady organic apple. Finished with a drizzle of deep green pumpkin oil and toasted pumpkin seeds, it provides a feast for the eyes as well as the soul."

I did use an organic apple from Future Fruit Farm, but I don't remember what variety. I don't think it matters.
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 C chopped onion
2 large stalks celery, chopped
2 T finely chopped ginger root
2 tsp crushed cardamom
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tsp sea salt
4 C chopped organic carrots
2 C chopped sunchokes
1 juicy, flavorful apple, cored and chopped
4 C water
To finish:1 can coconut milk
freshly ground pepper to taste
Garnish: pumpkin seed oil
toasted pumpkin seeds
In a heavy soup kettle (I used a 4-quart one), heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, ginger root, cardamom and nutmeg, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. After the celery and onion are well softened, add the carrots, sunchokes and salt. Turn heat to medium low and pan roast all the vegetables, stirring frequently. The idea is to intensify the flavor of the vegetables, not to brown them. This process can go on for as long as 30 minutes. Less is fine too.
When the vegetables are glistening and softened, add water and the apple. Bring to a simmer and keep partially covered over medium low heat until carrots are soft, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Using an immersion blender (or food processor), puree the soup, leaving small bits for texture. Add coconut milk and adjust seasonings. Allow to sit, covered, until serving time. An even richer flavor occurs if the soup stands for a while.
Try to add the garnishes if possible. The pumpkin seed oil (which in Madison Wisconsin is available at Vom Fass http://www.vomfass.com/Madison) and pumpkin seeds really add a lot to make this soup special.

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