• This hot and healthy vegetable soup will warm hearts this winter.

    By Taryne Jakobi

    Photograph by Vanessa Lewis

    Spiced carrot soup with lemon grass and coriander pesto crème

    Serves: 8
    Total Time: 40 mins

    Ingredients

    • 30ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
    • 160g onions, diced
    • 160g leeks, white part only, chopped
    • 1kg carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
    • ½ butternut, peeled and diced
    • 160g celery, coarsely chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 5ml (1 tsp) curry powder
    • pinch ground cinnamon
    • 50g fresh ginger, chopped
    • 1,5 litres chicken stock
    • 1 stalk lemon grass
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • juice of ½ lemon
    • 125ml (½ cup) crème fraîche
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
    • CORIANDER PESTO CRÈME

    • 2,5ml (½ tsp) chilli flakes
    • 5ml (1 tsp) soy sauce
    • 50ml fresh coriander leaves on stalks
    • pinch of chilli flakes
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) coconut, freshly grated
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) sesame oil
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) pine nuts
    • lemon juice, Maldon salt and pepper, to season
    • sunflower oil

    Instructions

    1

    Heat the oil in a medium pot and sauté the onion, leeks, carrots, butternut and celery until translucent. Add the garlic, curry powder, cinnamon and ginger and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the lemon grass and season. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.

    2

    Remove the soup from the heat and transfer it to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Strain through a large sieve if necessary.

    3

    Add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning. Keep warm until serving.

    4

    To make the pesto, purée all the ingredients together, adding a little sunflower oil if the pesto is too thick.

    5

    Mix the crème fraîche with the parsley and season. Pour the soup into individual bowls, add a dollop of the crème fraîche mixture in the centre and drizzle with the pesto.

    Author

    Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine.  www.imkawebb.com

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