Vegetarian Carrot, Cumin and Turmeric Soup with Carrot Pesto

By James Bacon

As autumn is upon us, so is soup season. This soup incorporates many of the spices in the Cole & Mason Saunderton spice shaker that help layer the flavours to produce a vibrant healthy lunch. If you decide to pair with the carrot top pesto and crusty bread, it’s a bit of a showstopper too!

Kitchen tools needed: Cole & Mason Saunderton spice shaker, food processor and blender.

Prep: 15-20 minutes 

Cook—25 -30 minutes 

Difficulty Easy

Serves 4

Ingredients for the Carrot, Cumin and Turmeric Soup

• 6 medium to large carrots (about 650g)
• 12 cloves of garlic, grated or chopped
• 1 large brown onion chopped
• 1/2 a Leek roughly chopped
• 1-2 pieces of fresh Turmeric (optional)
• 1 tbs of Cumin seeds
• 1 tbs of ground Turmeric
• 1 tbs of black pepper
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 tbs of chilli flakes
• 1L of vegetable stock
• 1/2 a lemon
• Salt to taste
• To serve (optional)
• Sliced spring onions
• A dollop of crème fraiché
• Chilli flakes
• A drizzle of chilli oil

Ingredients for the Carrot top Pesto

• 1 large handful carrot top greens, tough stems removed
• 60g of fresh spinach
• 1 clove of garlic
• Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 80g of unsalted cashew nuts
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 50 ml of olive oil (preferably extra virgin)

1. Firstly, fry your spices in a large saucepan for 1 minute, using a little oil. Add the chilli and cumin, then add the turmeric powder and paprika. This will start the flavour layering process.
2. Next add your finely chopped onion, leek and garlic. Cook this slowly for as long as you have until the onions are sticky and translucent but not brown - this will bring sweetness to the dish. If the mixture is a little dry add a splash of water to release any spices that may catch at the bottom of the pan.
3. After blitzing your carrots and fresh turmeric in the food processor, add them to the pan along with the lemon zest. Cook for 5 minutes before adding 500ml stock and 500ml boiling water.
4. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots have softened - the finer you chop your veg the quicker it will cook. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste, the carrots are sweet, and lemon will help to balance it out.
5. Return the soup to the food processor or use a stick blender to blend. You’ll want to blend until smooth, but this is down to personal preference so blend until you find your desired consistency.
6. Serve with a spoonful of crème fraiche and some finely chopped spring onion - I added a drizzle of chilli oil for an extra kick.

     Method for the carrot top pesto

1. Place all of the ingredients except the oil into a food processor, starting with carrot tops and spinach followed by the cashews, lemon, salt & pepper. Pulse until all ingredients are combined then scrape the sides of the food processor/blender down with a spatula. You can then start to drizzle in the oil with the speed set slightly lower. Season to taste.
2. Serve on crusty bread or toast and serve with your soup! I like my pesto quite dense without too much oil but again this can be adjusted to your preferred texture!

TIP : You can make use of your food processor to speed up the timing of all that chopping this also helps with the cooking time too.