Carrot & coriander soup with croutons

Ingredients

For the soup:

• 350g carrots, peel and cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 onion, peel and cut into small dice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1-4 sprigs parsley
• 1-4 sprigs coriander
• Salt and ground black pepper

Setup

• Make a cartouche
• Prepare a liquidiser or hand blender

Method

1. Put the vegetables in a pan, drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables
2. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and several twists of black pepper
3. Cover with a cartouche and lid and put on a medium heat until some steam is created, and the vegetables begin to soften without burning
4. Meanwhile, chop the herbs finely
5. Stir the vegetables, then reduce the heat right down and continue to sweat for 10 mins with the lid on
6. Check and stir during this time to stop the vegetables from catching
7. Add the bay leaf and stock
8. Simmer for about 20 mins or until the carrot is cooked right through. A knife should slip into the carrot very easily and it should feel very soft
9. Remove the bay leaf and add the chopped herbs
10. Taking care as the liquid will be very hot, puree the soup until it is very smooth using a hand blender or liquidiser
11. Check the seasoning and adjust if required
12. Serve in warm bowls topped with the croutons.

Check for cooked

• The soup is very smooth