Curried parsnip and apple soup recipe

Curried parsnip soup makes make a hearty, sweet meal when the weather begins to get a bit chilly. Teamed up with apples like Russets or Cox's and mild background spices, parsnips are surprisingly good. This is a mildly curried parsnip soup but if you want it hotter, just add a little more curry powder or even a hit of chilli powder. Serve your soup up with big chunks of crusty bread for a filling meal that the whole family will love and if you're partial to heat you could even add fresh chillies at this stage as well. And it won't be a problem if you make too much, either. This lovely soup recipe keeps really well in the fridge for a few days and can be gently warmed through again for another meal, on a different day. If you're busy then it's a great bulk batch make at the beginning of the week to see you through hectic lunchtimes. You could even make double and freeze some for days when you don't have any time to think about mealtimes.

Ingredients

• 500g parsnips, peeled and roughly diced
• 1 bramley apple, weighing  peeled, cored and roughly diced
• 60g butter
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 tsp chopped root ginger
• 1tsp curry powder
• 60ml cider
• 1.2 litres vegetable stock
• 90ml double cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2tsp toasted cumin seeds to garnish

Method

1. Gently cook the parsnip and apple in the butter together with the spices, in a covered pan for about 5 minutes, giving them the occasional stir and not allowing them to colour.
2. Remove the lid, add the cider and vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
3. Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the parsnip is soft.
4. Blend in a liquidiser until smooth and strain through a fine-meshed sieve.
5. Bring back to the boil, add the double cream and adjust with a little water or stock if it's too thick.
6. Serve in hot soup bowls and sprinkle with a pinch of cumin seeds.