How to make the perfect Curried Roast Parsnip Soup

Soups are magical things. Eating a good soup is like being wrapped in a favourite blanket, or returning home from a long journey. They’re familiar, comforting, warming. Sitting down in front of a good soup, spoon in hand, is to know that everything’s going to be ok.

This soup takes some great ingredients - parsnips, which when roasted, release that lovely, honeyed sweetness, and a good kick of curry, too. If most vegetable soups are warming, then this one is doubly so. Great as a starter, or as a main course, when served with homemade, crusty bread. What could be better?

What you'll need:

• Two tablespoons of good quality olive oil
• One roughly chopped onion
• Two cloves of garlic, thickly sliced
• One kilo of peeled parsnips, cut into chunks
• Three fresh sprigs of thyme
• Three tablespoons of runny honey
• One or two teaspoons of hot curry powder (depending how fiery you like it)
• Salt and pepper
• One and a half litres of chicken stock
• Four hundred and fifty millilitres of double cream

Method:

First

Pre-heat your oven to two hundred degrees. Stick all of the ingredients, except for the double cream and stock, in a roasting tray, mix well and season with salt and pepper, then roast until golden for about thirty minutes.

Second

Pour most of the stock (except for 250 millilitres) into a large, heavy saucepan along with the cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce the temperature to a steady simmer.

Third

Throw in your now roasted parsnips, and continue to simmer. While this is going on, deglaze your roasting dish with the remaining stock, and scrape at all the burnt, tasty bits before adding this to the pan. This will make sure you get maximum flavour into your soup. Add all of this to your pan.

Fourth

Season well, then remove from the heat. Once it has slightly cooled, transfer it to a food processor or use a hand blender to whizz it all up until it is smooth.

Fifth

Serve with a good dollop of cream, and warm bread.

Wine pairing for Curried Roast Parsnip Soup

Parsnips are a great match for wine. They bring together a savouriness with a sweetness which is truly irresistible and leave plenty of possibilities for pairing.

With this soup, we need to find a wine which can also stand up to a little spice, and won’t be too weird in the mouth with the soup’s smooth consistency.

For us, the best pairing for curried parsnip soup would be a good bottle of Chardonnay. The richness of this wine would make for a bold pairing, and the acidity would be sure to cut through the thickness of the soup, while having enough body to deal with the spice, too.

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