I’m lucky enough to still be pulling carrots from our vegetable patch on a daily basis. Despite a few hard frosts they’ve lasted really well. They haven’t grown in size since the cold weather set in, but they seem to be perfectly happy to sit in the soil all winter. However, I’m itching to get a seed bed prepared in that area for the parsnips that need to be sown soon. So, as much as I’ve enjoyed my winter supply of carrots, I’m pulling what’s left of them today and making a big batch of carrot and coriander soup. I usually spend a few hours each month making soup and freezing it in single serving sizes. It’s the perfect lunch to eat while I’m working and I have mastered the art of image editing with one hand while slurping soup from a spoon from the other.
Carrot and Coriander Soup
Serves 6
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 large carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
900ml (1 1/2 pints) vegetable or chicken stock
A handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrots and onion and cook for five minutes or so until the onion has softened a little. Add the chilli flakes and pour in the stock, bring the soup to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until the carrots are tender. Add most of the coriander, save a little for the garnish. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Blitz the soup with a hand blender until smooth. Re-heat to serve, add the reserved coriander and enjoy with crusty bread.
From what I read in Eliot Coleman's book, his theory is that the carrots, in addition to not going bad, actually maintain or even increase their sugar content sitting in the cold, cold ground. My vote is for carrot and ginger soup, though :)
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