Spiced Carrot Soup Sip

Serves 36 Persons.
Makes 1.25 litres.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 1.5 kilos carrots, cut into even chunks (about 3 cm)
• 3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock
• 100 ml cream
• 3/4 cup (185 g) sour cream
• 3 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 400F.  Combine the oil, honey, cumin, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of cracked black pepper in a roasting tin.  Add the chunks of carrots and mix well to ensure that all the carrot is coated in the spice mixture.
2. Roast for 1 hour, or until carrot is tender, shaking the pan occasionally during cooking.  Remove for the oven, discard the cinnamon sticks wit htongs and allow the carrot to cool slightly.
3. Transfer half the carrot chunks, 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of the stock and 1 cup (250 ml) water to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  Strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.  Repeat with the remaining carrots, stock and another 1 cup (250 ml) water.  Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the cream and season to taste.  Ladle into a jug, then pour into shot glasses or espresso cups.  Garnish each cup with 1/4 teaspoon sour cream and coriander leaf.

-Lifted from Finger Food Periplus 2010