New Year’s Eve doesn’t always call for champagne and canapés. Sometimes what you really want is a bowl of something warm and grounding after the excesses of Christmas. This parsnip and apple soup is exactly that — sweet, earthy, and deeply comforting. The apple adds a subtle tartness that stops the parsnips from being too cloying.
I roast the parsnips and apple together to concentrate their flavours. It takes a bit longer than a straight-to-the-pot soup, but the results are incomparably better.
Ingredients
- 750g parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
- 100ml single cream
- Salt and white pepper
- Toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of good olive oil to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Toss the parsnip chunks and apple wedges with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a roasting tray. Season and roast for 25–30 minutes until golden and tender.
- Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan. Cook the onion gently for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, and turmeric, and cook for another minute.
- Add the roasted parsnips and apple to the pan with the stock. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Blitz until silky smooth with a stick blender. Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
- Serve in warmed bowls with a scattering of toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of your best olive oil.
This soup freezes wonderfully without the cream — just add it when you reheat. It also makes a beautiful starter for a dinner party: serve it in small cups or espresso glasses for an elegant touch.
