When I first saw this recipe I was a little suspicious: blue cheese? Parsnip? But we took a gamble because there were a lot of parsnips in the market and sometimes it is nice to get out of one’s comfort zone, and this time it was well worth it. This recipe makes for a very creamy and soup, without being too intense. Served very hot its wonderful for the cold Autumn evenings that are starting to appear. So don’t be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone and try this.
Variations
- The original recipe call for two garlic bulbs, but I thought that is a bit much and do it with only one. If you are a garlic lover, go for it.
- I usually do 100g of cheese because the packages are… 100g.
Inspiration
This is a recipe from my favorite cookbook: Three Good Things (… on a plate) by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The book is excellent in that most recipes require easy to source ingredients, the cooking techniques are pretty easy, and so far all those that I have tried were very tasty. Not all recipes are For The People, but the ratio of useful recipes and “look at me I know fancy ingredients” is in favor of the thrifty chap in me.
If you don’t fancy getting the book, some of the recipes are available in The Guardian.
- Servings: 4 as starter or 2 as main course.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 60 mins
Ingredients
- Parsnip: 500 grams, roughly cubbed 1-2 cm pieces
- Blue cheese: 50 grams
- Vegetable stock: 600mL, hot
- Onion: 1, sliced
- Garlic bulb: 1
- Olive oil: 3 tablespoons
- Sea salt: to taste
- Black Pepper: to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 190ºc. Cut the top and bottom of the parsnips, peel and cut in chunks. Put them in an baking tray with the onions, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to mix.
- Cut the top of the garlic bulb to expose the garlic cloves. Put on top of a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with the a tablespoon of olive oil, add salt and pepper and make a rough wrap with the aluminum foil and nest it in the middle of the parsnips. Pop in the oven for 40-50 min, until the parsnips are golden and cooked. You can poke the garlic with a tip of a knife to check if they are soft inside the skin. If not, cook for a little longer.
- Time for a blender. Transfer the parsnips and onions to it, and squeeze the soft garlic from their skin. Transfer also the olive oil still in the wrap (it will be very fragrant), and add the vegetable stock and blue cheese. Blend it until smooth. If needed, add some hot water until it acquires the desired consistency. Serve and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy.