Rudolph's Carrot Soup

Serves 4, generously

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Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil, enough to cover the base of the pan

1 onion, finely chopped

2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

1 bunch coriander, finely chopped, stalks chopped and kept aside to cook with the onion

1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

4 carrots, grated

100g red split lentils, rinsed

1x 400ml tin coconut milk

1 x 400g tin haricot beans, drained and rinsed

Pinch of sea salt

Few grinds of black pepper

Method

Leave the lid on at each stage when you are cooking this dish, the steam helps the vegetables cook nicely and more efficiently.

Put the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on a gentle heat and add the onions, garlic, celery and coriander stalks followed by the dried herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir and let cook until soft but not browned. This takes about 10 minutes. If the onions start to stick, turn down the heat and add a splash of water.

Put the carrots and lentils into the pan and mix everything together. Add enough cold water to just cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils and vegetables are soft, this will take about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Stir in the coconut milk. Leave to simmer with the lid off for a good five minutes until the coconut is well combined with the vegetables and lentils.

Take the pan off the heat, remove the bay leaf and blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

Stir through the haricot beans and return to the heat for a few minutes to bring the soup back to temperature. Finally take off the heat, stir through the coriander, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.