Parsnip Soup

With Asda selling 500g bags of parsnips for only 9 pence I had to buy a sackful!  But what do you do with 5kg of  root veg? Well, it had to be a soup.

The problem with parsnip is that it can be too sweet but this recipe has plenty of apple and spices to counter that sweetness. The end result was so delicious even my grandkids liked it!

Ingredients
500g parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 apple, large and tangy e.g. Braeburn
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp olive oil
750ml vegetable stock
salt & ground white pepper, to taste

to serve
chili oil

Method
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry gently for about 10 minutes until softened but not coloured. Next add the garlic and all the ground spices and continue to fry for another 5 minutes,

Then add the bay leaf, cardamom, apple and parsnips to the pot. Stir well and fry for a further couple of minutes before pouring in the veg stock.

Turn up the heat to bring to the boil then  reduce back to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the parsnips are tender.

Remove from the heat and spoon out the cardamom pods, which should be easy as they'll float to the top. Also remove the bay leaf.

With a hand blender whizz the contents into a smooth soup.

Season well with salt and ground white pepper to your taste.

Serve with a drizzle of chili oil.