Tuesday 27 October 2009

Curried Parsnip Soup

The thing I love about this time of year is I get to make loads of soups, stews and other warming wonderful fare. I think if I were rationed to one type of food it would have to be soup, it can be infinitely varied from clear and thin through to thick almost like a stew. As well can be hot or a refreshingly chilled for a summer day, and even sweet and fruity.


Parsnips are a vegetable I had a love hate relationship with, for years I hated them so much I loved avoiding the horrible things at any cost. I would like to blame my mother for loading my plate with mushy boiled specimens, but in fact I think it was the opposite, we simply never had them. When I was first faced with a parsnip it was charred black alongside roast potatoes, obviously something to be shoved off the edge of the plate; and so it went for years.


I first tasted this soup from the Covent Garden range, and loved it, it's been a favorite for those chilly days ever since.

This is how I make it for about 4 big bowls
  • lump of butter, or glug of oil (how much depends if you are fat conscious or not)
  • 1 onion peeled and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic crushed or chopped fine

Melt butter or heat oil in a large pan, add onion and garlic and let is cook slowly, a bit less than what you would call frying, after 2 or 3 minutes add

  • medium potato (about 3 inch diameter) peeled and diced
  • 3 parsnips (about 6 inches long!) peeled and diced

and let them sizzle for a few minutes, you don't want anything to brown, if it starts to, take the pan off the heat, turn down the cooker, and stir the mix in the pan too stop it sticking and burning. Then add

  • dessert spoon of mild Madras curry powder (more or less, depends on how you like it, if you find it's not curry enough next time add a bit more, if its too much add some cream or extra stock, or pour it over rice as a curry and next time put less in)

Let the mixture cook for a minute or two then add

  • about a pint of stock, I use the Marigold Swiss Vegetable Vegan Bouillon Reduced Salt. But you can use what you want, either home made, veg, chicken anything, but watch out because some are very salty!!

Bring to a slow simmer, and cook until the veg. are soft, should be no more than 20 minutes

Now you have a choice, you can eat it lumpy as it is, bang it in a blender, use a hand blender, or mash it with a potato masher (sieve out the veg and put in a bowl first, then add back to the soup), and have it either smooth and velvety or rough and chunky. But which ever taste it and decide if it needs salt, pepper or throwing in the bin.

I add dash of cream, but that's because I can.

I love it and so does Julie, it's warming, filling and really easy, I use a pressure cooker and the whole thing takes only 20 minutes, but that's because I am really impatient and have one.

I would give you a picture of what it looks like but its just a bowl of pale orange, looks a lot less interesting than it is.


Tip. When you get a clove of garlic it can be difficult to get the fine skin off. I trim off the flat rooty end, put the clove on the chopping board, place the flat of a wide knife blade on it and give it a thump with my fist on the blade above the garlic clove. Not hard enough nothing happens, too hard and it almost disappears and just right the clove will squash slightly and the skin will fall off. Practice.

8 comments:

  1. Nice blog Philip, but even nicer soup. Yummy.

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  2. Hi Philip,
    Really great to note you have set up this blog. I look forward to further recipes from you.
    I know, from personal experience, that you are a fantastic cook.
    Positive wishes, your friend, Gary.

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  3. Thanks Julie, you know your comments mean so much

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  4. Thanks Gary,
    Hope you will try some of the recipes one day, this one is real easy and great tasting, well, so long as you like Parsnips and Curry!
    Philip

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  6. Hi Philip,
    Though I'm terrified of pressure cookers, I would like to try your recipe. Don't know that I've ever had parsnips or curry... should be interesting! You make it sound easy... and that's for me.
    Sizzling off now, Dixie

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  7. I only used a pressure cooker because I have one and Julie was hungry. The soup would be just as good cooked the old fashioned way.
    Do you have parsnips in the States? They are bit like carrots, sweet tasting, white and quite yummy cooked this way.
    Give them a try, it is easy and delicious

    Philip

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  8. Hi Philip,
    I can get them at the famer's market, but not in local stores.
    I have a pressure cooker; maybe worth another try. Looks wonderful. Thanks. :)

    Dixie

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