Carrot & harissa soup with feta toasties
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil, plus a drizzle
- 2 onions, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed, or 2 tsp garlic purée
- thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped, or 2 tsp ginger purée
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch of chilli flakes
- 500g carrots, coarsely grated
- 150g split red lentils
- handful of coriander, leaves picked, stalks roughly chopped
- 1½ litres vegetable or chicken stock
- 100ml cream (dairy or plant-based), plus a drizzle to serve
- 1-2 tbsp harissa, plus extra to serve
For the toasties
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook the onions for 8-10 mins until starting to soften and caramelise. Stir in the garlic, ginger and spices, and sizzle for 1-2 mins more.
- STEP 2
Add the carrots, lentils, coriander stalks and stock, along with some seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and bubble for 20 mins.
- STEP 3
Pour in the cream and stir in the harissa, adding an extra spoonful if you like it spicy. Blitz the soup using a hand blender until smooth, then taste for seasoning. Once completely cool, the soup will keep frozen for up to three months. Defrost completely in the fridge, then reheat in a pan until piping hot.
- STEP 4
For the toasties, crumble the feta in a bowl and lightly mash along with a drizzle of honey using a fork. Divide the feta between 3 slices of bread, then sandwich with the remaining slices. Generously butter the outside of each sandwich. Tip the sesame seeds onto a plate and press the buttered sides of the sandwiches into the seeds to fully coat. Heat a frying pan or griddle pan over a medium heat and fry the toasties for 2-3 mins on each side until the bread is golden brown and the feta, gooey. Drizzle with a little extra honey, if you like.
- STEP 5
Stir together a drizzle of oil and a spoonful of harissa. Ladle the soup into deep bowls and top with a drizzle of cream, the harissa oil, coriander leaves and a grinding of black pepper. Serve with the feta toasties for dunking.
