Instructions: Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan.

Cook the onion with the crushed garlic in the butter over a moderate heat until it is soft.

In a small frying pan toast the cumin and coriander seeds over a medium heat until they darken in colour and smell fragrant.

Remove from the heat and grind in a pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder.

SUr into the onions.

Add the carrots and celery the grated ginger and the orange zest.

Stir and leave to cook covered for about 10 minutes on a low heat.

Pour in enough stock or water to cover the vegetables by about 5cm then bring to the boil season with salt and pepper and turn down to a simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender until creamy then return to the pan.

Add the creme fra"che and the harissa paste bringing the soup almost back to the boil.

Taste for seasoning adding more salt or harissa if necessary.

Stir in the chopped coriander and serve hot.

Especially good when eaten with warm soft pitta bread on the side. Harissa paste the North African chilli puree is available from supermarkets. The best I have found is sold in jars rather than tins. It also keeps better that way. There is no reason why any chilli paste: cannot be used instead; whether it is the Mexican or Thai sort doesnt seem to matter.

Serves 4

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