A creamy and comforting winter soup full of flavour and perfect for a cold day. I found this recipe is one of my mother's cookery books and have adapted it slightly to make it vegetarian.
The parsnips are first boiled for a few minutes before being drained, tossed in the grated Parmesan and then roasted to caramelise them. Double cream is added towards the end to add richness to the soup and I would suggest croûtons for texture.
450g parsnips
50g grated Parmesan
2 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
1 medium onion
1 tbsp plain flour
1.25 litres vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp double cream
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Peel the parsnips and cut into lengths. Put into a saucepan of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and then drain. Put into into a clean bowl, sprinkle over 25g of the grated Parmesan and toss around with a spoon. Put the olive oil into a roasting tin, heat in the oven for a couple of minutes and then add the parsnips. and the knob of butter. Roast for 20-30 minutes, basting every ten minutes or so, and make sure they don't colour too much.
While that's happening, peel and finely chop the onion and make the stock.
When the parsnips are done, drain the excess oil into a 2 litre saucepan and add the chopped onion. Cook on a low heat for about ten minutes until soft (keep the lid on to stop them browning). Then add the vegetable stock and the cooked parsnips and continue to simmer for ten minutes.
Take off the heat and allow to cool for five minutes before blending with the remaining Parmesan. Taste for seasoning and stir in the double cream. If you're planning to freeze this, omit the cream and add once unfrozen.
Serve in deep soup bowls with croûtons or cheese twists.
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