Warming autumnal soup made with sweet, roasted parsnips and flavoured with curry spices. Crisp, green apples add a refreshing tartness. A Dairy-free recipe.
This soup makes a great winter meal, with the warmth of the curry spices nicely balanced by the sharp acidity of the apples. I like to serve it with parsnip crisps as a tasty alternative to bread.
4
Curried Parsnip & Apple Soup
Ingredients
- 5 parsnips (700g), peeled and chopped into equal-sized pieces (chop roughly in half widthways, keeping the nose end whole and chopping the bulbous end into 3 or 4 pieces)
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil (I used lard)
- 2 banana shallots (130g), peeled and finely chopped
- 250g tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 2cm pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1.1 litres (1 3/4 pints) of homemade chicken stock (use vegetable stock for a vegan option)
to serve:
- drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F.
- Arrange the parsnips in a single layer in a roasting tray, giving them plenty of room to roast and caramelise. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and toss until evenly coated. Roast for 45 minutes, turning half-way through. Remove when tinged brown at the edges and fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, heat the rest of the cooking oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the shallots and sweat for about 8 minutes, until translucent but not brown. Add the apple and sweat for another 2 minutes.
- Combine the curry powder, salt, pepper and water in a mug and stir to create a smooth paste. Add to the pan and stir to coat evenly. Turn the heat down to low and cook until the oil starts to separate – about 3-5 minutes (it is important not to rush this stage, as it develops flavour and stops the spices from tasting raw). Turn off the heat.
- Add the stock and roasted parsnips. Transfer to a blender in batches, and blitz to the smooth puree.
- Transfer the soup back to the saucepan and bring to the boil. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
