British author Niki Segnit, in her brilliant book the Flavour Thesaurus wittily writes:
"Cooked parsnip has the sweet, slightly earthy flavour typically associated with root vegetables. Raw its flavour is rather dispiriting, especially in combination with its fibrous, woody texture, for which you might as well substitute a macrame plant holder."
But, this winter we've been getting some wonderful locally grown parsnips for our Perth grocery store customers. No woodiness, just fresh and tender, although I do agree with Niki that cooking this vegetable has got its merits!
A month or so ago, Emma (our eldest daughter who's 29) told me about a soup she'd enjoyed for lunch at work and ever since that time, I've been wanting to cook it. This soup was sooo more-ish I had it for lunch 4 days in a row and loved just a little more each day!
The image shows the soup with one of our new Holy Bagels, bagel's, toasted and buttered which was a perfect accompaniment. I hope you try this soup. It is an oldie but a real goodie. Enjoy.
INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR TO SIX
250gm onion
1½ Tbsp olive oil
1 x medium clove garlic
300-400gm parsnips
2tsp Madras curry powder
300gm potatoes
salt and pepper
800ml-1L chicken stock
200ml milk
COOKS NOTES
- I like using a Royal Blue in soups as it creates a creamy texture as opposed to a waxy potato which turns the soup almost ‘sticky’ with its high starch content.
- Herbies Spices Madras Curry powder is my favourite. Fantastic used in cooking curries and soups but also mixed with mayonnaise to use as an accompaniment to Scotch Eggs or, mixed with mashed hard-boiled eggs or chopped leftover roast chicken for an amazingly tasty sarnie.
- Urban Forager organic stock paste concentrate comes recommended by myself and so many customers who have purchased it over the years.
- If you are serving this soup when entertaining, some crunchy golden croutons wouldn’t go astray. Or if you want to be really fancy, air fry some thin strips of parsnip tossed with a little olive oil, scrunched into a top-knot, and scattered with salt once cooked. Place on top as serving.
- This soup keeps in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
METHOD
- Place large saucepan over medium heat. Boil kettle.
- Peel and chop onion roughly. Add olive oil to pan and scrape in onion. Season with a good couple pinches salt and grinds of black pepper. Fry for 3-6 minutes, until softening. If looking dry, place lid on pan to speed up cooking by adding the trapped steam to the process.
- Meanwhile, peel parsnips and potatoes and chop into 2-3cm chunks.
- When onion is soft, crush garlic into pan, sprinkle in curry powder, and stir for 20 seconds, to combine and release aromas.
- Add parsnips and potatoes and stir well to coat with other components in pan.
- Make stock with boiled water in kettle according to instructions on jar. See notes. Add enough liquid to saucepan to cover vegetables plus a couple of centimetres over. Keep any excess to add later if needs be. Place lid on pan and simmer soup for 20-25 minutes, until veggies are soft. Taste half way through cooking and add more salt if necessary – depending on how salty the stock you used is.
- Remove soup from heat. Add milk and blend soup for a few minutes to ensure it is super-smooth. If too thick add just enough spare stock to thin to desired consistency. Check for seasoning again and serve.
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You'll love it!
