Parsnip soup makes a great winter warmer

Rebecca Law, who edited the Thrifty Kitchen cookbook, has had the enviable job of testing all of the recipes inside. Now that the weather is getting cooler, she has gone back to this tasty parsnip soup. Originally she was not a parsnip fan, but this soup with its warming touch of curry won her over. She says:

"Don’t get me wrong. I don't have anything against parsnips. I adore them roasted with other root veg, but the idea of them in soup had never really appealed. Pat Hammett, one of our beneficiaries from Southampton, who submitted a recipe for curried parsnip soup for our cookbook, The Thrifty Kitchen, reassured me that I wouldn't be disappointed with this wintery concoction.

"Pat admitted that she wasn’t too keen on parsnips herself but that they worked wonderfully in this recipe, which uses parsnips as its base with the addition of a few potatoes, a cooking apple for sweetness and some curry powder.
It cost little more than £2 to knock up a large pot of this soup and the result was divine. It’s now definitely up there among my favorite soups. Thanks Pat!"

If you would like to try Pat's parsnip soup, here's the recipe:

Curried Parsnip Soup
Ingredients (serves 4):

2oz (60g) low fat margarine
1 onion (chopped)
1 large clove garlic (peeled and crushed)
12oz (375g) parsnips (peeled and diced)
1 medium-sized potato
1 large dessert apple (peeled, cored and diced)
1-1½ tsp mild curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
1 ½ pints of beef stock (made with cubes)
Salt and pepper
1-2tbsp low fat natural yoghurt
Toasted croutons to serve (optional)

Method:
• Melt margarine in large saucepan, fry onions, garlic, parsnips and potato for about 5mins, stirring frequently.
• Add apple and cook for a further five mins, until the vegetables and apple are just tender.
• Stir in the curry powder and turmeric and fry for a further minute.
• Make up beef stock with boiling water and add to the vegetables
• Bring to the boil, turn down heat and simmer for 15 mins: leave to cool slightly.
• Puree in a food processor or liquidiser (or pass through a sieve).
• Pour back into the pan and reheat gently.
• Add seasoning to taste and stir in yoghurt.
Serve immediately with croutons.
Note: this soup freezes well.