Roasted Carrot, Ginger & Turmeric Soup, with Carrot Top & Coriander Pesto

This soup showcases the humble carrot, using ingredients that enhance and hero their naturally sweet, earthy flavour.

Roasting the carrots turns them caramelised and almost smoky, which along with warming turmeric and ginger, makes for a deliciously comforting autumnal soup.

The freshness of the pesto cuts through the sweetness, while carrot crisps add texture and crunch, and chilli gives a little kick at the finish. This soup may feature a simple vegetable, but the layered flavours and textures here are anything but.

SERVES:
4

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

For the soup

800g carrots with tops (removed and reserved), halved lengthways

1 tbsp light oil, such as groundnut

Good pinch salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp turmeric

1 litre good vegetable stock

For the carrot-top pesto

1 packed cup carrot tops

1 cup coriander, including stalks

100ml extra virgin olive oil

⅓ cup walnuts

¼ cup nutritional yeast

Juice of 1 lemon

Good pinch of salt

1 clove garlic

For the carrot crisps (optional)

½ cup light or coconut oil

2 medium carrots, sliced wafer-thin (it's best to use a mandoline for this)

Salt

To serve

Plain plant-based yogurt

Coriander leaves

Aleppo chilli flakes (optional)

Crusty bread

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas 4, and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Arrange the carrots on your baking tray, drizzle with the oil, and give them a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast until golden and just cooked through – about 20-30 mins.
When the carrots are a few minutes away from being done, sprinkle them with the ginger and turmeric. Toss to coat, and place back in the oven to finish off.
When the carrots are ready, transfer them to a deep bowl or blender, add the stock, and blitz until silky smooth. If you prefer a thinner soup, you can add a little more stock.
Pour the soup into a pan, and warm it over a gentle heat. Taste for seasoning and adjust as required, then keep the soup warm while you make your pesto.
Add all the pesto ingredients to a blender and pulse until combined. You don't want it to be too smooth, like a purée. If it needs a little loosening, add a splash of water instead.
If you're making carrot crisps, heat the oil in a pan until it reaches 375F, or until a cube of bread sizzles and browns in about 30 seconds when you drop it into the pan.
Add the carrot wafers in batches, cooking for a minute or two until just crisp. They burn quickly, so be careful! Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel while you cook the next batch.
When you're ready to serve, divide the hot soup between 4 bowls, and swirl in a tablespoon of yogurt, a big dollop of pesto, a small handful of carrot crisps, a few coriander leaves, and a sprinkling of chili flakes, if using. Serve with hunks of good crusty bread.