Warm up on a cold day with our carrot soup, spiked with ginger, garlic and curry powder. A dollop of chilli coriander pesto gives the soup an added kick
Prep:15 mins
Serves 4-6
5 tbsp olive oil2 onions, finely chopped3 large garlic cloves, crushedthumb-sized piece ginger, grated4 tbsp mild curry powder900g carrots, sliced1.7l hot vegetable stocklarge bunch coriander, chopped30g pine nuts, toasted1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped40g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated1 lemon, zestedcrème fraîche and crusty bread, to serve (optional)
STEP 1Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan, add the onion and fry for 7 mins. Add 2 of the garlic cloves, the ginger and curry powder and cook for 1 min more. Stir through the carrots and stock and cook, covered, for 15-20 mins or until the carrots are soft.STEP 2Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender until completely smooth. Season to taste and leave on a very low heat.STEP 3Tip the remaining 3 tbsp oil into a small food processor along with the coriander, remaining garlic, pine nuts and chilli. Whizz until smooth, then tip into a bowl and stir in the parmesan and lemon zest. If it’s too thick, loosen with 1 tbsp water.STEP 4Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the pesto. Add a spoonful of crème fraîche and serve with bread, if you like.
