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

Stock

I had a comment about Stock.

Stock is the basis for all soups. It can be homemade from beef, chicken, fish, vegetables, miso, soya, pork, lamb, Spices and herbs. Different styles of cooking have different recipes for stock suitable for their own type of soups. I have published a recipe for homemade chicken stock in this blog just check out the labels and archives.

If you have not the time to make your own it is a good idea to use ready made stock cubes. You can buy all types here the UK. Usually they are dry cubes that you crumble and add water to such as Oxo Cubes or dry stock mixtures such as Swiss Bouillon which you add to water. Some stocks can be purchased as concentrated pastes which you add to water and then use in your soup recipes. In some supermarkets you can buy a pint packet of ready made stock.
Look out for Organic stock products often more expensive but can have a better flavour and are pesticide free.

I hope this has revealed some of the mysteries of Stock.
Enjoy, 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.

CHICKEN STOCK RECIPE

Chicken Stock Recipe
It is a good idea if you can, to make your own stock for soup recipes. You can buy all types of stock cubes which are convenient and good to use. I always use them when I have no stock of my own. The photograph above shows you the stock ingredients before I have added the water and cooked it.
Ingredients
Chicken bones, I roasted a chicken and used the left over carcass as the basis for my stock
2 onions chopped
2 carrots chopped
1/2 cabbage chopped
1 tablespoon of mixed herbs or some fresh herbs such as Rosemary
4 cloves of garlic chopped
salt and pepper
5 bay leaves
5 pints--2.5 litres water
Method
I prepared all the ingredients, put them into a large pot and covered with the water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Taste and season as required.
Sieve the stock and pour into 2 pint containers, to store in the freezer for future use or use straight away for a soup.
Variations
1. Add any other vegetables of your choice to add depth and richness of flavour to the stock.
2. Double the ingredients.
3. Try to get more chicken bones from your butcher or market.