Think Soup, Think Parsnip

Over the last couple of weeks I have been extolling the virtues of autumn and her produce. High among these are root vegetables. Carrots we think of all year round, but their vibrant colour has a particular virtue at this time of year, brightening up what would be quite dull plates of food. For a side veg I like them combined 50:50 with (Scottish) turnip, the hero which much of the world knows as swede. Boil together until tender, then mash with liberal amounts of butter, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. But I digress.

Today's hero, the parsnip, is slightly unsung. They didn't feature in my childhood. I became aware of  them as part of the side dishes for a roast dinner. You really become aware of how sweet they are. During the 39 - 45 war they were used on occasion in puddings as a banana substitute. All fine, but they can form the basis for some terrific soups.

Scanning some online recipes, there is an amazing variety of techniques. Some advocate roasting the veg: other suggest frying the parsnips on their own. Some would include garlic (I don't) and cream, which obviously I don't. No right or wrong ways, but I'm a simple soul and for me soup is a simple dish. Three recipes today, all variations on a theme. You will need a blender or a stick blender. I use the latter. A less smooth result, but easier washing up.

The Parsnip Soup Base

4 parsnips, peeled and cut into equal size chunks; 2 onions, peeled and chopped; largeish quantity of butter or combination of butter and oil; 1.1 litres chicken or veg stock;  s & p.

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All of today's soups will be based on this. Gently fry the onions until softish. Add the parsnips. Season and cook together for a few minutes to allow the ingredients to get to know each other. Add the stock and simmer until all the veg are soft. Whoosh. Check the seasoning and serve.

If you do this, you will have a very dull soup. Here are some variations.

Parsnip and Apple Soup

As above, but add a couple of medium sized apples, peeled and cored. The Hairy Bikers use Bramleys, in equal ratio to the parsnips. They comment on the contrast of the tangy apple and sweet parsnip. I think that would be terribly tart. My version calls for eating apples.

Curried Parsnip (and Apple) Soup

The easiest way to do this is to add some curry powder when frying the onion, (apple) and parsnip. My advice is simply to remember that less is more. I have seen one recipe which calls for two spoons of hot curry powder! Remember the fire extinguisher or pint of mango lassi. In fairness, that particular recipe called for a lot of cream, which would cool things down.

I would recommend a maximum of a level teaspoon of medium curry powder. Just remember the old maxim, you can add, but you can't take away. Make sure you carry on cooking the veg for a few minutes before adding the stock.

If using such an ingredient is beneath your dignity you can play around with cumin and turmeric and the like. And ginger. Which brings me rather nicely to-

Claire Macdonald's Parsnip, Lemon & Ginger Soup

I know I included this quite recently, but you can't talk about parsnips soups and omit it. It is real favourite here at Casa Johnston. The amount of butter sounds enormous, but it really does work. (all of Claire's recipes work, no matter how odd some of them sound.)

Ingredients

Basic ingredients as above, but use 90g butter and no oil; thumb of ginger, peeled and very finely chopped, or grated;  very finely chopped peel (or zest) of half a lemon, pith removed;  juice of half a lemon (you may want a little more); s & p.

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Melt the butter and cook the onions gently until soft but not coloured. Chuck in the parsnips, ginger and lemon peel or zest (not the juice at this stage). Cook for a few minutes, add the stock, and simmer until the parsnips are soft.  Blitz well. Check the s & p levels, then add the lemon juice - you may want a little more.

For a smoother finish sieve before serving.