Carrot, orange and coriander soup

Carrot soup

Serves 4

Cooking Time

20-30 minutes 

Ingredients

• 25g (1 oz) butter
• 1 large onion - peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic - peeled and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 700 g (one and a half pounds) carrots
• 225 g (8oz) potatoes
• 1 medium orange
• 300 ml (10 fl. oz) orange juice
• 1.1 litres (2 pints) good vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

To serve

• 150 ml (5 fl. oz) single cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped coriander or parsley
• Croutons

Method

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry gently until soft and golden (this should take about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and coriander.
• Peel and finely slice the carrots and potatoes and stir them into the mixture. Cut three strips of orange zest from the orange with a sharp knife and add to the pan along with the squeezed orange juice made up to 300ml with shop-bought orange juice or fresh if available.
• Stir in the stock and simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender
• Remove the orange peel. Puree the soup in a blender until very smooth. Add salt and pepper as required. Place in a jug, cover, and if possible leave overnight for the flavours to develop.
• Return the soup to the pan and reheat until piping hot. Either -stir in the cream and fresh herbs, bring back to nearly boiling and serve in a large tureen garnished with croutons. Or serve the soup in individual bowls with a swirl of cream and fresh herbs sprinkled on top of each and pass a bowl of croutons separately and/or crusty brown rolls.