Carrot Soup

• porsiyonlar: Serves 2
• toplam süre: 27 minutes

Malzemeler

This one is just right for this almost-spring time. It's warming and filling, but with an optimistic dash of lemon and spice that makes it just as good as the weather warms. Plus, if you're using a veg box, you've probably got a carrot or two that needs using up. This is a delicious way to do that.

Based on a simple Turkish soup where carrots are fortified with protein-rich lentils, the flavour is lifted with some lemon, spice, chilli, and fresh herbs. We’ve added some red peppers into the mix for extra sweetness and to increase the plant count.

You'll need:

1 onion, peeled and sliced

2 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped

400g carrots, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tbsp cumin

60g red lentils, rinsed

800ml of stock or water

1 lemon

20g toasted and flaked almonds

chilli flakes, to taste

small bunch of mint, finely chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

Warm 2 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion, peppers and carrots together for 10 mins, until starting to soften.

Yöntemler

Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and lentils to the pan, and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently for 25 mins, or until everything is cooked and softened.

When ready, blend until completely smooth. Thin with a little more water if it seems too thick. Taste and tweak the seasoning with salt, pepper, a squeeze or 2 of lemon to your liking. Be bold with the lemon as it really enlivens the dish.

Serve and garnish with the toasted almonds, chilli flakes and some freshly chopped mint.