UPDATED - I previously ommitted the tomatoes from the ingredients list for this recipe - Many apologies!
I’m not predisposed to liking vegetarianism, having grown up with a sister who preached the virtues of her moral choice in public whilst wolfing bacon sandwiches and – more criminally to my young mind – pinching my pork crackling in private. Nonetheless, there is no doubting that as a moral and ethical choice, vegetarianism has every reason for becoming more common - one only has to think of battery farms and the constant food scares caused by them. As a non-moral choice too, vegetables are a vital part of our diet, without which our bodies simply cannot function properly, and in my constant drive to push myself to discover things my brain tells me I wont like, I have been making a conscious effort to increase the number of vegetarian dishes in my repertoire.
Given my predilection for slipping bacon and/or chicken stock into as many of my meals as possible, this hasn’t been easy, but soup is my one triumph – I can, and do, make completely vegetarian soups on a regular basis, thanks to my regular deliveries from an organic box scheme. In fact, my soups are almost always not just suitable for non-meat eaters, but they are also perfect for vegans too, as I tend to use olive oil instead of butter, and don’t tend to make ‘cream of-‘ soups (which seem to me to be missing the point of a nice healthy bowl of almost fat-free, yet very tasty veg!).
Over at A Veggie Adventure Alanna is hosting a month-long food-blogging event aimed at promoting and sharing the ultimate vegetarian soups to dispell the February blues - Soup Glorious Soup! My contribution is this delicious Spiced Roast Parsnip Soup which, although I’d love to claim as my own, actually comes from Camilla Schneiderman of Divertimenti in London – via the fabulous 'Soup Kitchen
' cookbook compiled by Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers. The mix of carrot and tomatoes in with the parsnip stop the soup being overly sweet, and the spices add a woody depth. It’s a soup to convert anyone who sits on the fence where this wonderful root veg is concerned, and to warm the heart of any soup lover.
Spiced Roast Parsnip Soup – makes 3-4 bowlfuls
Peel and roughly dice 4 parsnips, 2 carrots, 4 medium tomatoes and 1 large onion, and mix in a bowl with 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp. mustard seeds, 1 tsp. ground cumin, ½ tsp. turmeric and plenty of salt & pepper. Tip into a roasting dish and pop into an oven at 180C for around 30 mins, until softening & nicely brown at the edges.
I’m not predisposed to liking vegetarianism, having grown up with a sister who preached the virtues of her moral choice in public whilst wolfing bacon sandwiches and – more criminally to my young mind – pinching my pork crackling in private. Nonetheless, there is no doubting that as a moral and ethical choice, vegetarianism has every reason for becoming more common - one only has to think of battery farms and the constant food scares caused by them. As a non-moral choice too, vegetables are a vital part of our diet, without which our bodies simply cannot function properly, and in my constant drive to push myself to discover things my brain tells me I wont like, I have been making a conscious effort to increase the number of vegetarian dishes in my repertoire.
Given my predilection for slipping bacon and/or chicken stock into as many of my meals as possible, this hasn’t been easy, but soup is my one triumph – I can, and do, make completely vegetarian soups on a regular basis, thanks to my regular deliveries from an organic box scheme. In fact, my soups are almost always not just suitable for non-meat eaters, but they are also perfect for vegans too, as I tend to use olive oil instead of butter, and don’t tend to make ‘cream of-‘ soups (which seem to me to be missing the point of a nice healthy bowl of almost fat-free, yet very tasty veg!).
Over at A Veggie Adventure Alanna is hosting a month-long food-blogging event aimed at promoting and sharing the ultimate vegetarian soups to dispell the February blues - Soup Glorious Soup! My contribution is this delicious Spiced Roast Parsnip Soup which, although I’d love to claim as my own, actually comes from Camilla Schneiderman of Divertimenti in London – via the fabulous 'Soup Kitchen' cookbook compiled by Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers. The mix of carrot and tomatoes in with the parsnip stop the soup being overly sweet, and the spices add a woody depth. It’s a soup to convert anyone who sits on the fence where this wonderful root veg is concerned, and to warm the heart of any soup lover.Spiced Roast Parsnip Soup – makes 3-4 bowlfuls
Peel and roughly dice 4 parsnips, 2 carrots, 4 medium tomatoes and 1 large onion, and mix in a bowl with 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp. mustard seeds, 1 tsp. ground cumin, ½ tsp. turmeric and plenty of salt & pepper. Tip into a roasting dish and pop into an oven at 180C for around 30 mins, until softening & nicely brown at the edges.
Tip into a blender (you may need to do this in two batches if you have anything smaller than the largest Magimix
), with 750ml vegetable stock (use homemade if you have it, I use Marigold or Kallo Organic Vegetable Bouillon). Blend until really really smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides with a spatula. Be patient here and you wont need to use a sieve.Return to the heat and get piping hot, squeeze in a little lemon juice, check the seasoning and serve.
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3 comments:
Ai, Fahara, this sounds great! Thanks so much for contributing!
And don't worry about bacon and chicken stock, A Veggie Venture is about vegetables not vegetarian food so you'll see lots of recipes start off with a spoonful of bacon grease and a sprinkling of pancetta.
Many thanks!
Found your blog theu Veggie Venture. Delighted to read your food adventures! I tried the curried parsnip soup this weekend and it turned out GREAT!! Who knew!! Many thanks for sharing.
Smita
Heya servesyouright, glad you liked it - I just love that recipe! It's such an unlikely combination of veg & spices but it really works. Happy eating!
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