Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup has a special place in the culinary history of these Islands, all through the Middle Ages, and later, carrots were boiled and buttered as a vegetable, and simmered in soups. This is a lovely, creamy carrot soup, naturally sweetened by the carrots. Use either chicken stock or for vegetarians use a vegetable stock.

Carrot Soup Recipe

Serves 6 people.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 800g carrots (peeled and thinly sliced) 50g butter
• 400g onions (peeled and thinly sliced)
• 1.5 litres Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Stock if making vegetarian)
• 500ml single cream
• ground sea-salt and black pepper (to taste)
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon plain four

Croûtons – 6 tablespoons croutons

• 3 crustless slices of day old bread
• knob of butter to fry & 2 tbsp olive oil

to serve

• 1/2 cauliflower (the sprigs trimmed small and blanched)
• 200ml single cream (gently warmed)

Recipe Method:

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Sprinkle the plain flour on a plate and dust the onion rings with the flour. Cook them gently in the butter, stirring well, until they are soil and golden (10 minutes).

Add the carrots and the stock, (Chicken or Vegetable) and season with ground sea-salt and black pepper to taste. Bring the soup up to the boil and simmer with the pan uncovered for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes take off the heat and stir in the 500ml of cream.

Use a hand blender (or a regular blender, and do it in batches if needed) and blend the soup to a smooth, silky liquid. Return the smooth soup to the saucepan (if removed). Mix the curry powder to a smooth paste, with the 2 tablespoons of water. Stir it into the soup and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Trim the cauliflower heads down to very small neat sprigs and simmer them in a saucepan of boiling salted water for three minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, and place them in a bowl of cold water to cool. Once cool drain and add them to the carrot soup to gently reheat for a couple of minutes.

For the croûtons: Cut the crustless day old bread slices into small cubes and fry in a large knob of butter with two tablespoons of olive oil, in a hot frying pan until very crisp. Remove the croutons to drain on some kitchen towel, and reserve.

Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve the Carrot Soup hot. Transfer to a serving bowl, swirl in the cream and garnish with the croutons.