Spicy Parsnip Soup

I love making my own soups particularly as you can control the flavouring, texture etc and each recipe is so adaptable. With it being the festive season, I thought I'd tinker with this one to make it more indulgent. The result being a dish that was described as liquid velvet! (Not by AA Gill, but they were right nonetheless) The recipe is for four people. The true star of the show is the cardamon.

Ingredients :  4 parsnips, chopped onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 25g butter, 1tsp olive oil, 1tsp each of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamon pods, tsp turmeric, 100ml double cream, red chilli, coriander, seasoning, 750ml chicken stock

1. Dry fry the aromatics for about a minute until fragrant. Then grind in a pestle and mortar.
2. Peel parsnips. Using vegetable peeler, make 8 strips to be used as a garnish and set aside.
3. Cut parsnips into bite size pieces.
4. Fry onion and garlic in the butter over a medium heat. Once soft, add the parsnips and then the spices.
5. Coat the parsnips in the spices and then add the stock. Cover with lid and simmer until veg are soft.
6. Meanwhile, toss the parsnip strips in a little olive oil, season and roast in an over 200/gas mark 6 for about 10 minutes.
7. Pour the soup into a liquidiser and blend thoroughly. The soup should be of a custard like consistency.
8. Pour back into saucepan and warm gently. Finally add the cream and half of the finely chopped chilli and coriander and stir in.
9. To serve, pour soup into bowls. Sprinkle the remaining coriander and chilli around the outside and then place 2 of the parsnip crisps in the middle. Instead of a crusty roll, why not serve with warmed naan bread.