PARSNIP SOUP RECIPE

This Christmas there are lots of parsnips in the shops. This is a really good soup for Christmas lunch. Make it thinner and add a swirl of cream. Garnish with some fresh green herbs, slices of orange or satsuma and a sprinkle of ground cloves.
It can be made before the day and will reheat well

Ingredients
2 onions diced
2 tablespoons of olive oil or the equivalent in butter
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of ginger powder
1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 litre--2 pints of stock, either homemade or a vegetable or chicken stockcube
1 kilo--2 lbs--4 very large parsnips peeled and chopped into small cubes
salt and pepper to taste
1 apple peeled and grated for the garnish
basil or parsley chopped for the garnish



Method
Fry the onions in the oil-butter for about 5 minutes, I prefer not to brown the onions but let them cook and sweat in the oil-butter.
Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes
Add all the spices. I did not have the cardamom so I just left it out.
Add the stock
Add the cubed parsnips
Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour.
I used a Pressure cooker for this soup so the cooking time was cut to 5 minutes. It makes it a cheaper way to prepare soup. I brought the soup up to pressure, turned down the heat, cooked for 5 minutes and then just turned it off and then I let the pressure reduce on its own.
I put all the soup in a blender
Add salt and pepper to taste
Grate the apple and use as a garnish with the fresh herbs
Enjoy

Please check out the archives for these really good soup recipes

CATALAN SOUP RECIPE
BROCCOLI SOUP RECIPE
CHICKEN STOCK RECIPE
SWEET POTATO AND CHICKPEA SOUP
LEEK AND POTATO SOUP RECIPE
TOMATO SOUP RECIPES
CELERY SOUP RECIPE
MUSHROOM SOUP RECIPE
PEA and HAM SOUP

Also check out the links for more cupcakes recipes and casseroles

Thanks for reading and have a good Christmas

Crazycupcakes

Scotch Broth Soup Recipe

Scotch Broth is a great soup for winter days, thick and hearty in texture with great fresh flavours. Above are the main ingredients for the soup recipe and below is a picture of the lamb stock I made using a lamb bone for the Scotch broth. Lamb stock is made by putting all the leftovers from a roast leg of lamb into a pan with rosemary, bay leaves, water, some carrots and onions to add flavour, salt and pepper. Boil for about one hour, strain through a sieve and use. Ingredients for Scotch Broth Recipe

2cups--8 oz--250gm carrots, diced---dice all vegetables to about 1/2"--1cm cubes

2 cups--8 oz--250 gm turnips, diced

2 onions, diced

1 stick of celery, diced

4 leeks, sliced

1/2 cup--3 to 4 oz--75 to 125 gm pearl barley

1/2 cup--4 oz--125 gm dried peas soaked for 4 hours

salt and pepper

about 4 pints--2.3 litres of lamb stock, use a stock cube or make your own stock

Method

Put the stock in a large pan.

Add all the ingredients and simmer gently for a couple of hours, so that the peas become mushy and the barley is soft.

Serve with hot bread rolls or oat cakes with cheese.

Garnish with fresh herbs.

Scotch Broth soup ready to simmer.

Check out the Archives and labels below for other ideas using these vegetables, just click on the Labels.

BROCCOLI SOUP RECIPE

This is a really tasty thick soup that contains lots of broccoli which is full of vitamins and a good source of folic acid. It has lots of good dietary fibre and there are variations on the recipe.
Ingredients
2 onions chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
2 heads of broccoli, cut into small pieces and the centre stalk can be peeled and the tender centre chopped
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
4 sticks of celery washed and sliced
2 pints--1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock(see stock recipe)
1/2 pint--250ml of milk
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of thyme
butter or olive oil

Method
Put the butter or olive oil in a large pan and sweat, cook on a gentle heat with the lid on the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and add the broccoli, potatoes and celery. Stir and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the stock, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Check the soup and stir. Liquidise the soup and add the milk.
Taste and season as required. Serve.

Garnish
The soup can be garnished with :
1. chopped celery leaves
2. chopped walnuts
3. a swirl of cream, natural yoghurt or creme fraiche
4. pieces of crumbled stilton, this is a strong English blue cheese
5. Lancashire cheese crumbled, this is a white cheese with a nice soft texture and a sharp and tangy flavour.

Variations
1. Use soy milk but do not boil.
2. Add tofu to the soup as a good protein garnish.
3. Leave out the milk to make it non-dairy.
4. Use a different herb such as sage.

PEA and HAM SOUP

Ingredients to serve 4
80z-225gm 1 cup of green peas (soak peas in water overnight, rinse and drain.
1.5litres-2.5 pints of ham stock water
1 ham shank,soak overnight in water to remove salt, throw away the water.
2 carrots chopped
2 onions chopped
1 leek sliced finely
3 bay leaves
salt and fresh ground black pepper
Method
Place the ham shank in a large pan and cover with water, add bay leaves and seasoning, bring to the boil and simmer for 40 mins until the ham is cooked. Remove the cooked ham from the bone and put in reserve.
In a separate pan place the soaked peas, cover with the ham stock and bring to the boil. Add the leek, onion and carrots. Add the ham bone, taste and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the ham bone and liquidise the soup in a blender. Return to the pan and simmer.
Serve the soup with the diced ham as a garnish.
Variations
1. Use yellow split peas as an alternative.
2. Use split peas and green peas.
3. Garnish with fresh chopped herbs such as parsley or coriander.
4. Add more carrots or do more peas and leave out the carrots.
5. Experiment with the flavours and ingredients that you enjoy.