0 CURRIED PARSNIP & APPLE SOUP

"Steaming hot like hell, spicy like the devil himself and delightfully sweet like love!"

Lately, we've been having cold weather with strong uncanny "bise noire" (Northern wind) and lots of snowfalls. The temperatures have drastically fallen and the air is as crisp as in Siberia...

During those freezing cold days, we all like to keep ourselves warm and cozy as well as eat wintertime food that heats us through and soothes our souls.Therefore, there is nothing better than a steamy and nourishing soup to start a dinner or to serve as main dish!

By now, you must all know that I am somebody who likes to respect seasons and always tries to buy regional/Swiss/neighboring France products. In that way, you ingest less chemicals and don't pollute the planet. During my trips to the (super)market, I only choose seasonal vegetables and fruits. I shun away from the other stuff like bubonic plague...

So, going through my supermarket, I saw some wonderful Geneva root veggies that immediately attracted my eye and pleaded for attention. Those old vegetables are so flavorful, versatile, refined-tasting and interesting that it is impossible not to fall in love with them, especially if you are a foodie.

For this time around, I focused my attention on parsnips, a cousin of the carrot. With their strong and intoxicating perfume, one is assured of making a dish that'll not be forgotten and that'll leave you palate tingle with pleasure.

Once back home, I searched my books and the internet for recipes. I knew I wanted to make a soup and needed to find a dish that is part of the British culinary patrimony, but which would have a little twist. After lots of googling, I found what I was looking for: "Curried Parsnip & Apple Soup".

That velouté soup recipe was so promising. I knew that there was no way it was not going to be successful. That combination (curry, parsnips and apples) is a total winner. After a few simple moves in the kitchen, I ended up with a creamy and multi-scented soup. How delicious!

~ Curried Parsnip And Apple Soup ~

Recipe taken from the TimesOnline site.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:
50g Unsalted butter
1 Tbs Olive oil
2 Large onions, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tsp Ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tsp Curry powder
1/2 Tsp Ground ginger
700g Parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 Medium Bramley apple (see remarks), peeled and chopped
2 Tbs Runny honey
1.5l Vegetable or chicken stock (I used organic chicken stock)

Method:
1. Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy-based pan until the butter begins to foam. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes to soften.
2. Add the ground cumin, the curry powder and ground ginger. Stir until fragrant.
3. Add the parsnips, apple and honey and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 20 minutes until the parsnips are cooked.
4. In batches, whiz the soup in a blender until smooth and return to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and reheat before serving.


Remarks:
I used a Granny Smith apple.
To change a little from your usual curry powder, try using East African (I used that one), Madras, Sultan Malaysia, Malabar, Siam or Burma curry powders.

Serving suggestions:
Serve alone or with a good chunk of crusty bread.

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~ Velouté Au Panais, Curry Et A La Pomme ~
Recette trouvée sur le site TimesOnline.

Pour 6-8 personnes.

Ingrédients:
50g de Beurre nons-salé
1 CS d'Huile d'olive
2 Gros oignons, hachés
2 Gousses d'ail, hachées
1 CC de Cumin en poudre
Sel marin et poivre noir fraîchement moulu, à volonté
1 CC de Curry en poudre
1/2 CC de Gingembre en poudre
700g de Panais, épluchés et coupés en petits cubes
1 Pomme moyenne (voir remarques), pelée et coupée en petits cubes
2 CS de Miel liquide
1.5l de Bouillon de légumes ou de poulet

Méthode:
1. Dans une grosse casserole, faire chauffer le beurre avec l'huile jusqu'à ce que le beurre commence à mousser et crépiter. Ajouter les oignons et l'ail. Faire revenir pendant 2 minutes, jusqu'à ce que les oignons soient translucides.
2. Ajouter le cumin, le curry et le gingembre et bien remuer jusqu'à ce que les épices libèrent leurs parfum.
3. Ajouter le panais, la pomme et le miel, puis faire cuire pendant quelques minutes en remuant. Ajouter le bouillon, porter à ébullition et baisser le feu. Laisser mijoter la soupe pendant 20 minutes, jusqu'à ce que le panais soit cuit.
4. Mixer la soupe afin d'obtenir un beau velouté et remettre dans la casserole. Faire chauffer à nouveau. Goûter, puis saler et poivrer à volonté. Servir.

Remarques:
J'ai utilisé une pommes Granny Smith pour cette recette.
Au lieu d'utiliser votre poudre de curry habituelle, pourquoi prendre une poudre de curry moins conventionnelle: est de l'Afrique, malabar, malais, madras, du Siam ou de Birmanie.

Idées de présentation:
Servir sans accompagnement ou avec un bon pain croustillant.