No - I am not dead, I am just insanely busy, but here is a blog post about carrot and coriander soup

 

 

Yes, it's been a while hasn't it? In fact it felt like I was reaching the stage where I might abandon blogging altogether because I don't seem to cook anymore: Yes, sadly, this mum has gone to Iceland on more occasions than she would like and I get in the house some nights and don't feel like cooking anything. In fact, there is a certain part of me that would like to regress back to the single life where cheese on toast and a glass of Chardonnay would leave me sated before I began a night of jumping through OFSTED hoops because it required the effort of opening the bread, cutting the cheese sticking it all under the grill whilst I got the wine out the fridge. Job done, as they say. Anyway, this week I got ill - probably because I am eating cack - and by the end of this week, when feeling somewhat better, I decided to venture into the kitchen to make my restorative, carrot and coriander soup. I know it ain't Jewish penicillin, but it works for me.

 

I am trying to decide whether anything goes together better than carrot and coriander. Of course, there are loads of natural bedfellows, but you would have to go some to beat this magical combination if you ask me. Even the act of making it made me feel better...

 

Carrot and Coriander Soup

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad and two others

 

Ingredients:

 

A glug of olive oil

One large onion, roughly chopped

handful of coriander stalks, finely chopped

three cloves of garlic, chopped

800g carrots peeled and chopped into similar size pieces

a teaspoon of sugar

1l chicken stock

handful of chopped coriander leaves

salt and pepper, to taste

 

Method:

 

 

In a pan large enough to take all the ingredients comfortably, saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and coriander stalks and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant. Don't allow the garlic to burn.

 

 

 

Add the chopped carrots and sugar and then stir the mixture around to ensure everything is evenly mixed.

 

 

 

Add the chicken stock and a little salt and pepper. You can adjust the seasoning later if needed.

 

 

 

Bring the mixture up to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

 

Once the carrots are soft, blitz the soup with either a handheld blender, or transfer the mixture to a blender and liquidise, until you have the consistency you desire.

 

 

 

Adjust the seasoning and stir in the chopped coriander.

 

 

Serve with crusty bread and reacquaint yourself with the fact that you knew already, that is, cooking is a necessity, not just a pastime. And that there is more to life than hoop jumping...