Spiced Carrot Soup

Jul 31, 2010 by glutenshmooten

Week 34 of the Cookbook Challenge and the theme is Spice. This recipe, Spiced Carrot Soup, only uses 1 spice, Cumin, but is beautifully flavoured and tastes like it has a really complex list of ingredients – actually it’s so simple to make.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 red onion, diced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons red lentils

500g carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1.5 litres vegetable stock

ground cumin, extra, or thick double cream, to serve

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion and cumin. Cook until the onion is soft and transparent, then add the lentils and carrot. Stir for a minute before pouring in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Continue to cook for 40 minutes, or until the carrot is soft and beginning to fall apart.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a blender, a few ladlefuls at a time, and blend to a smooth puree. Return to a clean saucepan and heat over low heat when ready to serve. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of ground cumin or a dollop of cream.

I was so impressed by this soup – it was so easy to make and with only a handfull of ingredients, was incredibly flavoursome for such a simple dish. I will definetly add this to my regular repetoire now!