Spicy(ish) parsnip soup!

I have been attempting a new variety of soups this week and my latest attempt was spicy parsnip soup. For once I didn’t look around for recipes and just guestimated what I should use. The outcome was quite tasty, but I think I could have made it spicier!

 

Ingredients

• 3 large parsnips
  
• 1L vegetable stock (I used two veggie oxos in 1L water)
• 2 medium sized onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1tsp paprika
• 1tsp chilli powder
• Knob of butter

Procedure

• Peel and chop the vegetables
• Melt the butter at a medium heat and add in the garlic and onions. Cook until softened, but not brown.
• Add in the parsnips, cumin, paprika and chilli powder and cook for a couple of minutes
• Add the stock and bring to the boil

• Simmer for about 15 minutes/till the parsnips are soft
• Take off the heat and blend using a hand blender
• 
• I tried to make some parsnip crisps at this point, but ended up burning them. I think I had the right idea, just too high a heat. I shaved some pieces of parsnip using my veg peeler and then fried them at a high heat. I still put some in my bowl to look cool.

 

Excuse the mess in my kitchen!

All in all it was pretty nice, but I would increase the spice factor next time and not burn things!

Mushroom Soup!

Happy new year everyone! Over the Christmas and New Year period I didn’t do any cooking myself as I was looked after by my family! In the last week it has been back to reality for me and back to my kitchen! I have been enjoying making soup to take to work for lunch again and this week’s highlight for me was mushroom soup!

Ingredients

• 500g (ish) mushrooms, chopped up! I had 3/4 of a 750g pack left in my fridge!
• 80g butter
• 2 chopped onions
• 2 chopped cloves garlic
• 2 tbsps plain flour
• A litre of hot stock (I used a beef stock pot from Knorr, I think most people would use veggie or chicken stock)
• 4 tbsps cream (it works okay without it too)
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Procedure

• Melt the butter in pan and cook the onions and garlic on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they are softened.
• Add the mushrooms and cook at a high heat for about 3 minutes while stirring!
• Then add in the 2 tbsps of flour and mix well to coat the mushrooms
• Add the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes
• After the 10 minutes is up, blitz with a hand blender (take it off the heat for sure and let it cool down if you are scared of injury).
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Reheat and stir in the cream.

All that is left to do is eat it! I had mine with a very nice seeded roll. Nom nom nom!