Roasted carrot soup with smoked paprika and rosemary

Soups & stews

Roasted carrot soup with smoked paprika and rosemary

Name: Roasted carrot soup with smoked paprika and rosemary
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4

Serves 4 1h

Roasting caramelises the natural sugars in carrots and concentrates their flavour, making for a luscious, rich soup. The sweetness is offset by the rosemary and paprika. Paprika can be sweet or hot – taste as you go if you've got the latter. Carrots take longer to blend properly than other veg; keep going until the soup is perfectly smooth – it will get there!

Ingredients

800g cleaned carrots, roughly chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion or leek, or 2 large shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
1-2 tsp smoked paprika, to taste
1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
250ml crème fraîche or single cream
handful fresh chives, parsley or coriander, chopped, to finish
salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 10 min

Cooking time: 50 min

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
Step 2
Put the chopped carrot in an oven tray and mix through 2 tablespoons of oil and some salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until partly browned.
Step 3
Meanwhile in a large saucepan, fry the onion and garlic with the bay leaf in 2 tablespoons of oil until soft. Stir through the rosemary and smoked paprika.
Step 4
Once the carrot is cooked, add it to the saucepan with the onion and then add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until all the vegetables are soft. Blend until smooth and return to the pan.
Step 5
Reheat, adding 200ml of the cream and more smoked paprika to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a swirl of cream and a scattering of fresh herbs.