Punchy parsnip soup

It’s all about the roots! Winters equals root vegetables, and as Chritmas approaches the parsnips are filling the supermarket shelves, begging to be used. This soup is super punchy, using curry powder, plus dried chillies ( if you like heat, if not simply leave them out) plus a somewhat surprising but essential dollop of mango chutney to balance the spice and sweet of the curried snips. It might seem unnecessary to roast the parsnips first but it does all a depth of flavour and fuller dimension to the soup. You may think the gloriously crispy roasted parsnips would prevent a silky smooth soup, but once they’ve been immersed in the stock and simmered for a while, they soften nicely and the resulting whizzed up soup will be a smooth, creamy and silky as imaginable.

Perfect garnished with some root veggie crisps.

Punchy Parsnip Soup

(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, soya-free, vegetarian and vegan)

500g parsnip, topped and tailed and peeled

2 tbsps olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 tsp curry powder

2 dried chillies ( optional)

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped

700ml vegetable stock

2 tbsps mango chutney

Salt and pepper

1. Toss the parsnips in 1 tbsp of oil, season and roast for 30 minutes until cooked through
2. Fry the onion in the oil until golden. Stir in the curry powder and chilli ( if using) and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the roasted parsnips, potato and atock and simmer until the potato is cooked through.
3. Whizz up in a liquidizer and add the mango chutney whilst e machine is still running.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning or add more chutney if desired.
5. Serve