Vellutata carote e albicocche - Carrot and Apricot Veloute'

To celebrate the apricot season up in the mountain, I made up a carrot veloute' with the fresh apricots I picked from the tree.

All the main ingredients come from the local vegetable gardens, except from the red lentils.

I roughly chopped my vegetables, I added lentils and vegetable stock and once cooked, I blend it.

Just before serving, I added the apricots and a generous squeeze of lemon, which gives a tangy twist to the delicate dish.

Vellutata carote e albicocche - Carrot and Apricot Veloute'

2 red onions, peeled, trimmed and sliced

400 g carrots, peeled, trimmed and roughly chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

100 g red lentils

1 L vegetable stock

1 teaspoon ground cumin

200 g ripe and sweet apricots, stoned and chopped

The fresh juice of 1 lemon

Sea salt

Black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Serves 5 to 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

1. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté  the onions for 5 minutes with a pinch of salt on low heat.
2. Stir in the carrots and the celery and sauté for another 2 minutes.
3. Add lentils and pour in the vegetable stock. Leave to simmer, covered, for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Blend your soup into a smooth veloute'.
5. Season with cumin, black pepper and the lemon juice.
6. Serve warm, with the chopped apricots on top.