Warming Parsnip Soup

The cold weather has hit us here in Melbourne which makes a lovely bowl of soup very inviting. There is something about soups made with minimal ingredients, a distinct flavour shines through. This is the case with this Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall recipe. I’ve never found parsnips all that exciting, and they are usually just an afterthought added to carrots and other root vegetables. However, I hope you will agree that with the addition of a few warming spices, they absolutely shine!

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs olive oil

• 15 g butter

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 4-5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped (or grated)

• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

• 1/4 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used chilli ancho)

• 500 g parsnips (in the picture I had substituted one medium sweet potato for some of the parsnips, hence the orangey colour)

• 800 ml vegetable stock

• 200 ml whole milk or milk substitute

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  To Finish

• 2-3 Tbs flaked almonds

• 1-2 Tbs double cream or thick yogurt (I used Coyo sour cream)

Method

1. Heat the oil and the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, until soft and translucent.

2. Add the garlic, ginger, cardamom, cumin, and cayenne and stir for a couple of minutes.

3. Tip in the parsnips and stir until well coated in the spices.

4. Pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper and simmer until the parsnips are very soft - about 15 min.

5. Allow the soup to cool slightly, then purée in a food processor or blender until smooth.

6. Return the soup to the pan, addd the milk and adjust the seasoning.

7. Warm through gently - if the soup is a bit thick, thin it with some boiled water.

8. Serve the soup with the almonds and a dollop of cream or yogurt.

9. Finish with a grinding of black pepper.