Parsnips are something I don’t use a lot. It has something to do with the quality of them – often woody. In truth, I don’t actually look at them at the market, just walk straight past.
But I have some fabulous ones this week. As you know it is so busy here that sometimes I don’t have time to breathe. At the same time, my cleaner quit and one of my valuable staff took 3 weeks holiday on the Gold Coast to get married! AAAAaaaaggggghhhh! So when I received an offer to help by doing my shopping I ever so thankfully accepted. And she found some wonderful things, including half a dozen fleshy, sweet parsnips.
I was about to roast them with some thyme, but at the last minute, I decided to make a soup. And what a soup it was.
Spicy Parsnip and Carrot Soup
Source : inspired by The Soup Bible
Cuisine: English?
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 55 mins
Serves: 4 – 6 people, depending how you use it
ingredients
3 Tblspn (40g) butter
675g of carrots and parsnips, peeled and diced. I used 3 parsnips and 1.5 carrots.
1 onion
1.2l vegetable stock or water
1 tspn coriander powder
0.5 tspn cumin powder
0.5 tspn turmeric powder
0.25 tspn chilli powder
50ml single cream
1 Tblspn sunflower or olive oil
1 garlic clove, cut into julienne strips
2 tspn yellow mustard seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
method
Melt the butter in a large pan, and gently fry the onions, parsnips and carrots for about 3 minutes. Stir in the spices and cook for one minute more.
Add the stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Puree in a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Add the cream and heat gently on a low heat.
While it is reheating, heat the oil in a small fryingpan and add the julienned strips of garlic and the yellow mustard seeds. Fry quickly until the garlic is beginning to brown and the mustard seeds start to pop and splutter. Remove from the heat.
Before serving, pour a little of the garlic mixture including oil on the top of each plate of soup.
The Soup Series
- Taking Stock - Making Great Vege Stocks
- Ginger Garlic Lentil Soup
- Golden Gentle Dal
- Spicy Rustic Red Lentil Soup with Thick Thick Yoghurt
- Take a Tomato - Quick Tomato Soup
- Tomato Rasam for a SPICE Hit!
- Urad Tamatar Dal (Urad Dal with Tomatoes)
- Velouté d’asperges (Cream of Asparagus Soup)
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
::
:: 


































Gorgeous recipe, and photos! Warm, hugging colours.
“Last of winter” colours indeed. Hanging on to them as long as I can….
Sounds really magical… and looks beautiful!
Margot
Thanks, Margot.
Love parsnips. Love carrots. They make a great pair for soup. Delicious!
They sure do. It was a nice discovery. The soup is truly delish and the garlic and mustard just make it divine.
the only time I cooked with parsnips was while making a roasted veggies dish which my frnd did not take really well. This soup look too tempting to pass off.
I am sure that you will find this one very different. And if you friend does not like it – consider changing the friend. (just kidding).
LOOKS NICE..STIL TO TRY PARSNIPS,..:-)
oh oh hope it is soon…..:-)
Soup looks so nice with nice click
Thank you! Glad you like the click!
Parsnips aren’t that easy to buy, here in France & often expensive when we can. Shame – I adore them & this soup looks just right for the cooler evenings.
Wow, it is a shame. Maybe pop over to the UK to grab some.
Even I have not used parsnips so far. But reading the list of ingredients for the soup, I’m literally able to imagine how soothing and comforting the aroma would be with all the Indian spices. Gonna try this very soon.
Never? Wow, hope you get to experience this v. soon. You can make the soup with all parsnips or all carrots, or any ratio in between.
I love parsnips so much, but we do not get them in Greece. I usually smuggle them back from England! Great recipe.
None in Greece, or France either, by all accounts. How sad for you. It is good that you get to taste them in England.
oh no! the cleaner quit?! hope u find time to relax and sort out everything. anyway i adore parsnips..roasted with a bit of honey it’s like heaven! great looking soup. totally nicking this recipe for the coming autumn months!
Thank goodness, after a couple of months I have found a new cleaner and she starts on Friday. Yay! Parsnips roasted with honey – yes, I can see that that would work. I am going to try it.
Delicous, mouthwatering and tempting me to make it
. Toooooooo good.
Wow, how wonderful that you love this too.
Pingback: Carrot Ginger Soup and a Giveaway : Andrea Meyers
This looks so great – it reminds me of a Pumpkin soup a good friend makes – actually just had it for Halloween. Thanks for offering this!
Thank you! How nice to remind you of something wonderful.
Lovely soup! I used yoghurt instead of cream and it was so lovely with some toast for dinner, thank you!
Yes, I am enjoying.
Shalom
Pingback: Feb 25th 2013. Easy Summer Cold Soup with Spices. | Heat in the Kitchen