How to Cook Chilled Soup

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 mins + 30 mins (inactive)

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Chilled Soup:

• 1 lb 2 oz carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 handful green Gordal olives, pitted and halved
• 2 pink grapefruits, peeled and sliced
• 1 handful hazelnuts, crushed and toasted
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1 punnet fresh coriander cress
• 2 oz butter
• 4 tbsp hazelnut oil
• 1 pint 7 fl oz water
• 5 fl oz milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for Chilled Soup:

• Heat a large saucepan over moderately high heat and add a dollop of butter into it.
• Heat until it melts completely and throw in the garlic as well as carrot slices.
• Sauté them for a couple of minutes over slightly reduced heat, while stirring often, and pour in the water.
• Sprinkle the fresh herb sprigs, salt and a dash of ground black pepper and give them a nice stir to mix well.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer and place a lid on top before cooking further for another 5 minutes or until the carrots soften.
• Turn off the heat and whisk in the milk until just combined.
• Set aside until the soup cools down to some extent and tip it into a blender.
• Blitz the mixture into a smooth puree and strain it into a large bowl.
• Place a lid on top to cover and leave in the fridge for at least half an hour to chill.
• Ladle the chilled soup into flour soup bowls and sprinkle the nuts, olives and the coriander cress over each serving.
• Arrange the grapefruit slices on top to garnish and add a lashing of hazelnut oil over them.
• Serve cold.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons