I even undid my fleece and bodywarmer whilst out walking the dog yesterday - incidentally the same walk where Fred actually needed to stop and slurp noisily from a handy cattle trough. He even flopped down a couple of times in the shade (yes, there was enough sun to cast a shadow) for a break from the pheasant chasing...
And while in my heart I wanted to cast off the shackles of the winter once and for all, it hasn't quite been BBQ weather, and we still had more parsnips to eat.
This beauty actually went home with my mother in law earlier today. Forgive the rather unusual 'size comparator' - your eyes do not deceive, it is indeed the nozzle thing from a plastic petrol can. This means only one thing - Daisy the camper van is back on the road. But I have as yet no stories of camper van adventure, you'll have to wait for the first of this summer's exciting installments. Instead, with the remaining 2 parsnips to deal with, I can regale you with tales of a parsnip and ginger soup that Pink, my parsnip hating daughter, ate.
Parsnip quite often gets the curry treatment, cumin, coriander, garam masala, but I'm never very sure about it. We were having curry for dinner on Saturday anyway, so I wanted to make the soup a little different. That said, I was using ginger in the curry, but somehow with the parsnip, it lifted the flavours and made a much fresher, spring-like soup than the other spices. Still warming - for it was chilly out of the sun, but with a promise of (please God) some balmy summer days to come.
Parsnip & Ginger Soup - serves 4-5 adults
approx 400g peeled, chopped parsnip
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled & roughly chopped
a thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1.2 litres vegetable stock
rapeseed or olive oil
Heat a tablespoon or so of the oil in a large pan, add the onion and ginger and gently sweat for 5-10 minutes. Add the parsnip and carrot, sweat for a couple more minutes then tip in the stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes or so till the veg is cooked.
Whizz the soup with whatever you use - hand held stick blender is my weapon of choice - and serve.
Pink had a spoonful to try and then proceeded to eat 2 bowlsful.
The final parsnip of the winter was turned into oven chips - 'snip chips' - for dinner this evening - along with 2 large maris piper potatoes. Delicious to all apart from Pink, who declared them disgusting. Contrary to the end - that's my gal.
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