Carrot and Coriander Soup

My youngest has been pestering me for "carrot soup" for a couple of weeks now. Where he got the idea from, I haven't a clue. Anyway, I finally got around to making this, prepped last night and made in the slow-cooker today. It tastes fresh, sweet and a little tangy. It is also unbelievably easy - moreso if you buy ground coriander and don't bother dry-roasting and crushing the seeds yourself.

Needless to say, when presented with the desired carrot soup, the youngest had a strop and insisted that he had really meant "bomato soup".

The children took exception to the coriander leaves (placed purely for aesthetic purposes), but cleaned their plates. They loved the soup accompanied by cheesy garlic bread, although the youngest was very suspicious about "why mummy made a flower with the bread?"

 

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 6-8 carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 1 smallish floury potato, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• A piece of peeled raw ginger, approx. 2cm cube
• 1 tsp coriander seeds (or use ground coriander)
• 500ml chicken stock (I used a cube of Kallo organic chicken stock)
• 1 dessertspoon  crème fraiche
• A pinch of salt
• About 10 twists of ground black pepper
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Serves 4

 

Instructions

• Heat a frying pan to a moderate heat, and add the coriander seeds. Stir the seeds in the pan until they begin to colour, and release aroma. Remove the pan from the heat, allow to cool, then crush the seeds with a pestle and mortar
• Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. When it is melted, add the sliced onion and fry gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and glossy
• Place the carrots and potatoes in a slow-cooker. Grate the ginger into the pot, then add the ground coriander.
• Pour over the hot chicken stock, add a pinch of salt and 10 twists of ground black pepper

(at this stage I let the whole lot cool overnight and put the slow-cooker on in the morning for yummy tea at 5pm)

• Place the slow-cooker on low, and cook for 8 hours. If you don't want to use a slow cooker, place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan, cover and boil gently for 30 minutes
• When the vegetables have cooked until soft, remove from the heat. Add a dessert spoonful of crème fraiche, then blend the soup to a smooth puree
• Check and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately with something toasty and oily

Carrot and Coriander Soup