Wednesday 4 March 2009

Parsnip Soup

After teasing us with mild breezes and generous sunshine a couple of days ago, spring retreated with rapidity and definition yesterday.

Enter noisy winds, heavy rain and a reminder that it is still too early to put away the hats, scarves and gloves just yet.

But there is always comfort to be had in the kitchen.

The right food has an amazing ability to echo what is going on beyond the windows, especially when rain is pounding into the glass like an invading army. It comforts and reassures. Encourages and delights. Warms and satisfies.

Soup, above most other things, can perform these tasks effortlessly. And a curried parsnip soup, smooth and delicately spiced, is certainly one of the best.



I know this shouts ‘Winter!’ but sometimes you just have to go with what you know is right.

To make this warming cuddle-in-a-bowl, just peel and roughly dice the veggies – two or three parsnips, a couple of onions and a decent sized potato. Lightly fry in a little olive oil until a little colour starts to appear. Add a couple of litres of stock (vegetable or light chicken) and simmer until all the vegetables are tender.

Whizz in a food processor then return to the pan for seasoning. A teaspoon of mild curry powder, some Garam Masala and a little black pepper should do just fine. This isn’t a spicy hot soup, merely one that will entice you into a warming embrace whilst the wind does its worst outside.

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5 comments:

Jennifer said...

I'll be honest I've yet to try parsnip in a soup as the role star. You make it sound great!!
Wonderful blog! :)

HH said...

That sounds wonderful, and though parsnips here aren't as good as the UK ones I will have to give it a go once it cools down. One of the best soups I have ever had was a pear and parsnip soup in Canada, several years ago, which I am yet to recreate, so this might just give me the shove in the right direction that I needed!!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a lovely soup. Curry powder with parsnips would be delicious.

oneordinaryday said...

Hmm. I have just starting wading in the parsnip waters. I'm bookmarking this to give it a try. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
(I'm going to blog tomorrow about a parsnip dish too - hope you go by and check it out.)
Michelle
http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/

Just Cook It said...

Thanks Jennifer, glad you like it.

HH - Pear and parnsip sounds very interesting. Thanks for the kind words

Lisa - It's definitely a winning combination

oneordinaryday - It's a pleasure, hope it works out for you. I'll drop by and see how you got on.