How to spice up winter soup

There are few things as good as soup for comfort and warmth. Though, with the very notable exception of Heinz tomato, I find ready-made soups invariably dull. The fresh counter ones are even worse than the tinned: bland, gloopy, surprisingly calorific and expensive for what is, after all, liquid food.

When it comes to soup, I go for one of two approaches. When I need instant warmth and salty satisfaction I’ll have a mug of broth— Bovril beef tea, miso soup from a sachet, or even just a crumbled veggie stock cube in boiling water. And when I want a real meal, something nutritious and filling, I’ll make a proper blended soup.

Given soups have no textural interest (unless you embrace the world of croutons and other crispy bits on top) they have to deliver on flavour, otherwise you really are in the realm of baby food. To inject flavour you can play around with the liquid, substituting for the stock: coconut milk pairs nicely with butternut squash and a combination of milk and stock is what you want for a creamy potato soup.

But the easiest way to ensure your soup packs a punch is to embrace the generous use of herbs and spices. Toasted cumin with sweet red peppers, rosemary and thyme with potato, or garam masala with lentils. I use coriander—both the seed and the fresh leaf— in good quantity in this classic carrot and coriander soup , to which I add smoked paprika to accentuate the golden colour and to give a smoky warmth.

Carrot and coriander soup

600g carrots, peeled and cut into medium-sized chunks

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or you could use butter)

1 large onion (white or red), diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Very large handful of fresh coriander, stalks and leaves separated and finely chopped, plus more leaves to garnish

1.2 litres vegetable stock (a couple of cubes, or those jelly-like ‘stock pots’ are perfectly good. It is also delicious to replace 400 ml of the stock with coconut milk)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon, chilli flakes

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lime

1. Preheat your fan oven to 210°C. Meanwhile, peel and chop up your carrots (you can do this any old way but the larger the chunks the longer they’ll take to cook. 2 cm-thick half-rounds is what I go for.)
2. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant and then grind in a pestle and mortar to a powder.
3. Toss the carrots with a tablespoon of the oil and half the coriander powder in an oven tray. Roast until tender and burnished – about half an hour.
4. When the carrots are almost ready, heat the other two tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for five or so minutes, then add the other half of the coriander powder, the chilli flakes and the smoked paprika. Cook out the spices for a minute or two and then add the coriander stems and garlic. Cook for a minute more.
5. Add the stock, the roasted carrots and the teaspoon of salt. Grind in plenty of black pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, or less if you’re in a hurry.
6. Use a hand blender to blend until smooth. Add juice of half a lime, taste and then add more if required. Check the seasoning.
7. Ladle into bowls and finish with a final scattering of coriander.