Out the Box – Carrot and Clementine Soup

As the winter days fade into spring, we have a few final opportunities for thick and healthy soups.

I tried this soup because I happened to have all the ingredients from my Abel and Cole veggie box and was absolutely stunned by it. Utterly delicious.  I do suggest you try it!

Serves 2 – 4

Ingredients

• 700 g carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
• 50 g butter
• 700 ml hot vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
• ½  teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tbl spoons corn flour
• 4.00 to 6 clementines, juice and zest of
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

• Sweat the finely diced carrots and onion in large saucepan with the butter – keep the lid on and keep stirring them until soft, for about 10 minutes.
• Add the crushed coriander and heat through for about 2 minutes to release the fragrance, and then add the hot stock, ground cumin and ground ginger. (If you are using ground coriander add with the other spices and the stock.).
• Bring to the boil and then cover the pan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the ground rice, clementine juice and zest – stirring well, and continue to simmer for a further 30 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then liquidise in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Adjust the consistency by adding extra clementine juice or stock if the soup is too thick.
• I don’t like clumpy soups and my husband doesn’t like smooth, so I pureed half the soup and added to back together so that it’s still a little chewy, but smooth enough for me!
• Return the soup to the pan and reheat for 5 minutes or until piping hot but NOT boiling; remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve in pre-heated soup bowls with twists of clementine zest on top of the soup, as well as an assortment of dinner rolls and flavoured butters.

This soup freezes really well. Just take out of the freezer, pop on the stove, add a little water or milk to thin it down a bit and have a good dinner!

It also goes fantastically well with a Cardamom Braid.

If you try it, let me know what you think!