The tools for my winter gardening sessions tend to lie on the kitchen floor from one week to the next: the pruning knife, my leather-handled pruning shears, the largest of the two spades, the rake. They serve as a reminder that even though the garden may look crisp and neat from the window, there is still work to be done. It is during these cold, gray-sky days that I sometimes feel as if I live on soup. Roots—fat carrots, artichokes, and woody parsnips— are part of the lineup, along with onions and the occasional potato. I take much pleasure in the way something can be both earthy and velvety at the same time. Rather like my gardening gloves.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Peel and coarsely chop the onion and parsnips. Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot, add the onion and, once it has started to relax, add the parsnips.
Step 2
Peel the garlic, squash it flat, then add to the pan. Cook over medium heat, lid on, until the onion has colored lightly and the edges of the parsnips are mostly golden. Resist disturbing the vegetables too much as they cook: a slight browning of the parsnips here and there is essential to the flavor of the soup.
Step 3
Sprinkle a dusting of flour into the pot, stir in the chile flakes and turmeric, then cook for a minute or two to remove the raw taste of the flour. Add the stock, stir, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to let the soup to sit at a light boil and continue until the vegetables are soft, about twenty minutes.
Step 4
Pour into a blender or food processor and whiz to a creamy purée. Add the cream and mustard and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Drop the cubes of cheese into four warm soup bowls, then ladle the soup over. Serve immediately.
