festive carrot soup

Nigel Slater first turned me on to the pleasures of a simple soup of carrot and onion, with a bit of cayenne pepper. But today, I'm not really in the mood for cayenne - I want something softer, sweeter, more perfumed. Something festive - dare I say it - Christmassy. I'm going with a bit of allspice and ground ginger in my carrot soup.

Christmassy Carrot Soup
(serves 2)

500 g carrot, grated
3 medium onions, sliced thinly
3 tbsp oil
1 litre hot stock
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
300 g stale wholemeal bread, cubed
20 sprays of olive oil

Heat the oven to 200 C. On a foil-lined baking tray, spray the cubed bread with olive oil and season well. Allow the croutons to bake for 40 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and allow them to saute for about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and the remaining tbsp of oil and let them sweat down for a few more minutes.

Add the ginger, allspice and bay.

Add 3/4 of the stock and bring the soup just to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Season and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves, then use the hand blender to puree the soup. Then, slowly adding the last 1/4 of a litre of hot stock, puree it again, giving the mixture a smoother consistency.

Take the croutons out of the oven and allow to cool.

Serve the carrot soup with the croutons mixed in the soup. It should take on a lovely, almost porridgey consistency. It will be lovely, I promise!