Curried parsnip soup
Curried parsnip soup from Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book. In English Cookery Mrs. Grigson declares: “The best English soups are unrivalled, but one might wish there were more of them.” This unrivalled recipe begins to redress the dearth.
- heaped Tablespoon coriander seed
- heaped Tablespoon cumin seed
- ½ teaspoon or more cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek
- heaped teaspoon turmeric
- a smashed garlic clove
- a chopped onion
- a large peeled and chopped parsnip or two
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon flour (preferably Wondra)
- 1 quart beef stock
- salt (possibly)
- 4-5 oz heavy cream
- minced chives or scallion greens
- Grind together the coriander and cumin, then mix them with the three powdered spices.
- Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium low heat and cook the garlic, onion and parsnip under cover until they soften but do not brown, usually in about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the flour along with a generous Tablespoon of the curry powder into the vegetables for a couple of minutes.
- Slowly pour the stock into the vegetables, bring the soup to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer until, as Mrs. Grigson says, “the parsnip is really tender.”
- Puree the soup with a hand mixer or blender, check for salt, reheat the soup and whisk the cream into it.
- Scatter each serving with chive or scallion and think about dropping a few croutons onto the surface.
Notes:
-Mrs. Grigson has of course blended her own spice mix from scratch, but if pressed for time a like amount of good commercial curry powder is a fair enough substitute.
-Her curry powder differs from ours in using a dried chili or some chili flakes instead of the preferable cayenne, and in its proportion of individual spices: We have used proportionally more cumin and turmeric. Anyone should have no hesitation in blending her own powder to taste.
-No time is specified for softening the parsnip at Step 4 because the texture and fiber of each parsnip may differ so much.