One thing my husband and I differ on is our love (or lack of) love for soup.  I enjoy making soup but rarely eat it (or do you drink soup?) whereas my husband would have it for breakfast, lunch and supper if I let him.

As our stock of soup in the freezer was getting decidedly low, I decided to make a couple of quick batches whilst I was baking.  It is surprisingly quick and simple to make and I use a large maslin pan;  fill it to the top and let it simmer away for about an hour.   All amounts are approximate as it differs each time I make it.   No thickening agent is needed as once blended, the soups are the perfect consistency.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5k basic carrots
5 large oranges
2 or 3 onions
Very good sprinkle of ground cumin
Good shake of sea salt
Good grind of black pepper

METHOD:

Top and tail the carrots and cut into thick chunks. Peel only if you think necessary (I usually only wash them).

Peel onions and cut into quarters

Grate the zest from all the oranges and squeeze out the juice.

Place all ingredients into your largest pan and fill with water. I fill my maslin pan up to the 12 pint mark.

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for approximately one hour.

Add a very good sprinkle of ground cumin, a few good pinches of sea salt and a good few grinds of black pepper.

Either use a hand blitzer to obtain a smooth soup, or allow to cool and put into a blender in smaller amounts.

Pour into soup bags and freeze when cold.

Serve with a swirl of live yoghurt.

A few simple ingredients

Serve with a swirl of live yoghurt

The above quantities made about 8 good sized servings.

The second batch I made with a further 1.5k of carrots was Carrot and Butter Bean Soup.  Instead of the oranges and cumin, I added two tins of butter beans and a large chunk of ginger root, peeled and sliced.    The added ginger gives a slight ‘warmth’ to the soup which my husband loves for a change.