Parsnips soup prob

I like some grated orange zest, and perhaps a sprinkle of chilli flakes. Thank you for the reminder, thatbags, I now know what we can eat after the carol service this evening!

A touch of cider vinegar works for me.

A friend adds beer she tells me.

Would this work with sweet potato soup as I can find this too sweet?

Thank you! Now it's a case of deciding which to try. I might have to try them all.

Celery? Coriander? I recognise the problem and would not make soup with only parsnips. I use my parsnips in soups and stews instead of carrots which are also fairly sweet. Parsnips are best roasted with a drizzle of honey. Just because you CAN make soup with any vegetable does not mean that you should.

I was looking up the French for parsnip yesterday (as you do) and my Larousse says it is a "vegetable common in British cuisine". Maybe why I have never had parsnip in a restaurant in France? You can buy them in the supermarket though. And American friends staying with us in April had never heard of them before either!

When I had French students staying, they'd never seen or heard of gooseberries either Icy

Stansgran worth a try.

Not surprised about the gooseberries, Aka, the French for them translates as mackerel currants - yuck. Fishy berries. I would pretend I had never heard of them too. thatbags tell us what you used in the end.

I do use them in stews too. There's one in the oven right now (a stew, not a parsnip). We also have them roasted, alongside carrots and beetroot.

But they are cheap at the mo and there will be some left when we've done all that so I was thinking soup. I suppose I could make a different kind of soup with just some parsnip.

However, I do want to try the ideas people have suggested.

I may micro-zap and freeze some too.

A bit of jalapeno - gives it bite. Also sprinkle with a good strong cheese.

It's because gooseberries are the perfect sauce with mackerel. My FrenchSIL believes parsnips are cattle food only in France. We do enjoy broadening the French palate. We've won on mint sauce with lamb and Xmas puds and Stilton. I'm pushing thick cut Oxford marmalade at the moment and I'll get them to use a tea pot before I die if it kills me in the attempt.

A glug of dry sherry works for me.

I usually stick some in the soup as well.

Gooseberries in stews?

Brilliant idea to have gooseberry sauce with mackerel! Why didn't I think of that? I already knew that 'gooseberryish' Sauvignon Blanc is great with oily fish.

I'm enjoying all these new ideas

Fresh lemon juice cuts through a sweet-ish soup if you've no gooseberries to hand. Gives it a tang. Good grind of black pepper also helps.

I make spicy parsnip soup with cumin, ground coriander and dash of chilli

I just thought - I have had (but not made) parsnip and apple soup, and it was lovely.

Love the sound of your spicy one, FlicketyB.
'Cattle food' indeed! I am happy to keep our parsnips on this side of the Channel, so long as I don't have to eat andouillettes when I am in France. Stansgran, we had a hit with Pimms this year though.

A tiny bit of garam Marsala works with parsnips.

I'm not keen on chili but ground coriander seed is one of my favourite spices (I add it to flapjack) and I use ground cumin seed in a lot of things. Apple... now there's an idea. It will have the acidity, especially if I use cooking apples.

I checked and we have white and red wine vinegar (well past their use by dates but, heck, it's vinegar for goodness' sake) but no cider vinegar.

I use cooking apple and although I love it, DH is not so keen. Actually I used fallen apples off the tree in the garden and it was fine.

I brown a good sized onion, before adding the parsnip with cumin and coriander, stock (in my case, veg stock powder) and a bay leaf or two. I think a hotter spice, like chilli, conflicts with the flavour of parsnip.