Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup with Pesto and Spicy Chickpeas

This is a delicious vegan and dairy-free dish. Making pesto from the carrot tops is a great way to waste less and use the full carrot.

INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp. olive oil
2kg carrots, peeled and chopped
6 small onions, peeled and quartered
10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1 – 2 litres vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Carrot top pesto:

1 cup green leafy carrot tops, washed
1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, washed
Juice of half a lemon
2 cloves garlic
100g blanched almonds
Sea salt
½ cup canola oil

Spicy chickpeas:

2 x cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Juice and zest of half a lemon
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Sea salt

METHOD

For the soup, preheat the oven to 200°C. Toss 1.5kg chopped carrots, the onions, unpeeled garlic and thyme in 4 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Divide between two baking trays and roast for 30 minutes until slightly caramelised.

In a Le Creuset 24cm Signature Round Casserole over a medium to low heat, fry the remaining carrots and ginger in olive oil until the ginger begins to brown. Ladle in enough hot vegetable stock just to cover the carrots and simmer while the other carrots are roasting.

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins and add to the simmering soup along with the roasted carrots and onions. Ladle over more vegetable stock to cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are completely soft.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool before blending until smooth in a food processor. Add more stock if too thick. Return soup to a clean Le Creuset 24cm Signature Round Casserole and heat to warm through. Adjust seasoning to taste.

For the carrot top pesto, blend all the ingredients to form a lovely vibrant green pesto. Add more lemon juice, canola oil and seasoning to taste.

For the chickpeas, toss the rinsed chickpeas in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and pour onto a roasting tray. Roast for 20 – 30 minutes and season to taste.

To serve: Ladle the hot roasted carrot and ginger soup into Le Creuset Giant Cappuccino Mugs, then top with spicy baked chickpeas and homemade carrot top pesto.