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Curried Parsnip Soup I thought that this was a culturally confused food item when I got it from a Swedish lady working in London. Curry to me means the heat of India and parsnips come from frozen English fields while Sweden is worse. However, a book of war time recipes suggests that curried vegetable soups were common in many households of the period and variations on the theme are found in Victorian recipe books. Lightly spiced and made with good ingredients this makes an elegant dinner party dish, with two tablespoons of hot curry powder its a good way of dealing with poor quality root vegetables. It should also work with potatoes or cauliflower |
| Contents | Ingredients (serves 6) 1 1/2 pounds of parsnips, 2 ounces of flour, 2 ounces (lard, marge, butter or oil), curry powder according to taste and two pints of water (you can substitute milk/cream for some of the water). Method Peel the parsnips and boil until soft enough to turn into a puree. The puree can be made using a blender, but I find a potato masher works well and is a lot easier to clean. Whilst the parsnips are simmering away, melt/heat the fat and stir in the flour and smooth out the lumps with a wooden spoon and the add the curry powder, then cook for a couple of minutes. Add the liquid in stages, stirring to remove lumps as the soup thickens. Finally, stir in the parsnip puree - serve. Comment You can vary the texture by varying the energy you use to beat the parsnips into a pulp. A swirl of cream on the individual serving dishes makes it look artistic an effect which can be enhanced with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Page Updated: 5th November 2000 |