A quick post tonight as my team is playing!

Pescatarian January is going well – in fact today was completely meat free, fish or otherwise. As a dedicated carnivore, it felt at first like the meals I made were ‘incomplete’, like it was missing the main attraction. I’ve since found that to be nonsense of course and although I will no doubt eat meat again, I’ll certainly not see it as the be all and end all of lunch and dinner.

I made this soup over the weekend and thought I’d drop it in (mainly because since my last post I’ve made a fish wrap that should never be seen in public and pasta, the subject of that post).

Parsnips work famously with curry spices and the croutons fried in garlic oil and cumin added welcome ‘bite’. As croutons generally are supposed to do, I guess!

Serves 2 with leftovers for work

2 tbsp oil (plus more to drizzle)
4 large parsnips
1 large onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
Vegetable stock (enough to cover)
1 heaped tbsp mild curry powder
Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 Tbsp single cream (optional) to finish
Salt

A chunk of stale bread, cut into 1/2 inch or 1cm cubes
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Garlic oil

Peel and half the parsnips and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with oil, a little salt, and roast for about 40 minutes until nicely browned.

Once done, remove and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large pan fry the garlic and onion until soft. Stir in the curry powder for a minute or so to release the flavour.

Chop the parsnips into large cubes and add to the pan.

Pour over enough stock to cover the vegetables and gently bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes (the parsnips are already cooked).

Take it off the heat and allow to cool for a while. Then, add the chopped coriander and blend either in the pan using a stick blender or in a separate blender (in batches if necessary).

Stir though the cream and leave to gently heat whilst you make the croutons:

Simply fry the bread cubes gently in the oil and cumin powder for a minute or two until golden brown and crunchy.

Serve in bowls with the croutons on top.