Parsnip & Apple Soup

I’m very pleased with my soup which I made during our first #CookWithZita Zoom session. I’ve made a lot of warming curried parsnip soups in my time but the sun is shining and I’m ready for Summer so I really wanted to make something lighter. This soup is lovely, it is delicate and zingy and frankly not what I believed parsnips could be. It’s a revelation and I hope you will try it too 😊Our new Zoom sessions are a chance for our community to cook together privately in a virtual kitchen. We would love you to join us. If you would like to cook with us next week, please email Zita at Zita-balint@cookpad.com 😊

Watercress is a member of the mustard family and there is evidence of its use dating back to the Persians, Greeks and Romans. It is believed that Roman emperors ate watercress to help them make bold decisions and they treated insanity with vinegar and watercress. Hippocrates grew wild watercress in the natural springs in the gardens of his hospital on Kos around 400 BCE. It was used to treat blood disorders.Although nothing was known about mineral content and vitamins back then, the Persians did observe that soldiers were healthier when watercress was part of their daily diet. It is now known that Phenyl ethyl Isothiocyanates (PEITC’s) found naturally in watercress repair DNA damage from strenuous exercise.Until the Renaissance it was used as a breath freshener, palate cleanser and used to treat scurvy. It is believed to be an aphrodisiac and a good cure for a hangover.One of Britain's best-known dishes, watercress soup, became very popular in the 17th century when it was claimed that it cleansed the blood. I have menu cards from my father’s immigration to England in 1957 on the ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary. I remember looking over them one day with him and he mentioned eating cold (watercress) soup for the first time.I have added Braeburn apples and a touch of nutmeg to contrast the peppery taste of the watercress and balanced the sweetness with a squeeze of lemon. A dollop of Greek yoghurt turns it into a light yet velvety soup. #GlobalApron

Today I really had to use up the sad bag of parsnips in my fridge … some of them were sprouting and threatening to evolve into a new life form. So I made this soup which I wasn’t feeling particularly enthusiastic about if I’m honest - BUT it is such a lovely surprise! Simple and really really delicious 😋 #lunch

Gluten and Dairy Free

I had a bag of carrots and a bag of parsnips that desperately needed using up. I wasn’t going to enter this into the comfort food challenge but as it was cooking the smell was just amazing. And it made me happy, I love autumn and this soup really is like a hearty (albeit healthy) hug 🤗

This soup works well with an apple instead of a pear too

I’m happy to pay for good ingredients but hate wasting food, so I make a lot of soups from leftovers. This soup uses “uncooked leftovers”, i.e. veg that weren’t needed for Christmas dinner. It’s a creamy, smooth soup, the consistency of which can be adjusted to personal preference by varying the amount of stock used or, indeed, the quantity of veg. The veg could, of course, be specially bought in - or for that matter home-grown.#WastenotWantnot

This soup contains ginger, fresh turmeric and garlic which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This soup is quite spicy, so reduce the amount of fresh chilli and cayenne if you don’t like heat. When I made this soup, both of my children came running into the kitchen to ask what I was cooking as it smelt so delicious. Tragically, it is too hot and spicy for them to enjoy so it’s all mine 😁Be warned, fresh turmeric stains hands and blenders so please bear this in mind when using!

We had a lot of celeriac to use up in the #CookpadKitchen so I made a big batch of #vegan soup. Serves about 8 so you could halve the quantities of you don’t want or need as much.

A simple soup but full of flavour. Just a variation of my previously posted lighter onion soup

A couple of points of note with this recipe:1. It's always wise to taste a chilli raw before you cook with it to gauge its intensity. Once chopped, take a piece from the middle and eat it. Don't panic if the heat is intense, it will dissipate in the cooking process but if you're not a huge fan of spicy food then it's always smart to err on the side of caution2. This recipe freezes particularly well and will taste just as good from the freezer as fresh, be sure to defrost thoroughly before cooking and you should avoid refreezing most things once thawed

It's such a simple dish to make and perfect for autumn weather.I didn't really measure as such as I just put everything together without actually look at the recipe.

There’s a sweetness to this delicious soup that I originally thought was coming from the apple but no, it was the celeriac. Such a delicious and unrated vegetable in my opinion. I cooked it as a starter before a roast dinner at my parents house. Dad was initially sceptical but after tasting it, admitted it was delicious. If you give it a go, I’d recommend using homemade chicken stock if possible (my saint of a mum always has a supply in her freezer) and provided you eat meat, the smoked pancetta is a must! It acts like an additional seasoning! If you don’t do meat, anything smoked and crunchy would work I’m sure.

I love this mildly spiced thick soup. It's sweet with parsnips and has a little kick from chilli. I like to garnish it with extra crunchy homemade sourdough croutons, some crisp bacon and onions, fresh coriander leaves and a small dollop of yoghurt. Beautiful!#parsnips #soup #curried #lunch #familymeals #comfortfood #croutons #greekyogurt #garammasala #spicy #turmeric #garlicpowder #healthy #rootveg #onion #masala #winter

‘Twas a cold, wet day with only a few spare vegetables in larder so this was made in the soupmaker in minutes, a drastically cutdown version of one of my regular soups. Adjust curry powder to suit your palate. #WasteNotWantNot

Tastes like vitamin C and sunshine! This is my family’s favourite soup - we cook it whatever the season. Simple to make and perfect for rainy days to cheer you up, or when you’re sick and cannot eat anything too heavy.Originally found in a recipe book from the late 70s, I simplified it a lot for everyday quick cooking.

I batch cook a soup most weeks with the leftover veg from my veg box. Easy option for a quick lunch or part of an evening meal. I only used carrots and parsnips here but don’t let that stifle your creativity.

The Recipe is from a Soup Book . If I did not follow a Recipe I would probably roast Vine Tomatoes in the oven and then allow them to cool and then blitz with cold cooked fried onions or cold cooked Roasted Onions and then blitz with the cold cooked Vegetable Stock . Seasoning very important , use the right amount of Salt and Black Pepper or White Pepper , grinds of Black Peppercorns . Can just use only Salt . Cooking time includes reheating in the Microwave about 6 minutes for a less powerful wattage Microwave (700W)

In cold weather, soup recipe is perfect.

I had A LOT of vegetables that needed using up today. I’m determined not to waste them so I’ve made an all in the pot #SummerSoup. I deliberately kept the seasoning simple as I wanted the flavour of the vegetables to shine through, which I think they do 🌿

My husband loves parsnips!!

This is my own version of a mix up of Nigel Slater, Jamie Oliver's recipe for chicken soup. It's easy to make, wholesome, warming, and is meant to boost the immune system too. Unfortunately I didn't have time to make my own chicken stock as I really craved and needed chicken soup (!), so I used a ready made organic chicken stock. The perfect meal if you're feeling under the weather or downhearted.

This is another quick recipe and uses ready-mixed spices and stock, etc. for those of us who currently can’t go out shopping. This is of medium strength: just increase or decrease the curry powder if wished. Fresh coriander is not on the ingredients list but, if you happen to have any, a little sprinkled on the soup bowls is a bonus.

#SummerSoupI started to hear about marrow recently so I decided to try out this seasonal ingredient and turn it into soup 🥣 i looked at some recipes and created my own version with the vegetables I had in my kitchen.

A simple recipe for a hearty minestrone soup to keep you warm and healthy! You could add any pasta of your choice while making this soup if you'd like - simply add another 500ml of water into the soup, together with the mixed beans, and cook the pasta in the last step.Full recipe here: https://youtu.be/hAnwrLANHQw

Cauliflower with a hint of nutmeg is such a lovely flavour combination. To make this soup really interesting and different, you need to roast the cauliflower until it is really dark brown but without actually burning it! Then add fresh lemon at the end to help freshen it up. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did 😊 #2flavours

I grew some pumpkins in my allotment this year!This one turned out very creamy and quite a runny consistency, next time I will try to make one a bit thicker!

#ChristmasGiftI love this recipe, because there are fresh vegetables and aromatic spices in it. It is very easy to follow the recipe and make a delicious and quick soup.

When my daughter stopped eating dairy products, cooking dinner became a challenge for me. However, I created many delicious meals without dairy. Here is one of them. My husband, who loves cream and butter and cheese, actually loved this soup better than the ordinary Creamy Mushroom Soup. And this soup is even healthier!