miss b loves..........comfort food ......spicy carrot and coriander soup.

It's so cold and wet here that we need all the help we can get to keep warm and this spicy carrot soup is the perfect comfort food. It's from another recipe leaflet I picked up last year while shopping at Sainsbury's.

Ingredients

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
pinch ground cumin
pinch crushed chillies
1.25 litres vegetable or chicken stock (I used just less than 1 litre for a thicker consistency) 
500g carrots peeled and roughly chopped
1tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves plus a few sprigs to garnish
20g vegetable crisps, to garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook for 3-5 mins, until softened.

2. Add the cumin and crushed chillies and cook, stirring for a further 1 min. 

3. Add the stock and carrots, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 15 mins, or until the carrots are tender.

4. Transfer the soup to a blender and whizz until smooth. Stir through the chopped coriander, then ladle the soup into serving bowls. Sprinkle on some freshly ground black pepper and garnish with the extra coriander leaves and the vegetable crisps. 

I served it with chunky slices of walnut bread (not home-made but still delicious!)  

PS Above is the traditional method but I made it the easy way with our soup maker. I love my kitchen gadgets but this one is definitely one of the most useful. It sautés, cooks, simmers, blends and the best part ...... there's no pan to watch over ...... and it stays hot until needed.  

I'm definitely ready to experiment this winter making more warming soups using different flavour combinations .......let me know if you have any suggestions!