Curried Parsnip & Apple Soup

Is it getting a bit chilly in your neck of the woods? Here in London, where we're visitng my daughter and her family, there's a lovely nip in the air, which always tends to put an extra spring in my step. The days are sunny and clear, with nights perfect for snuggling underneath down comforters, windows open to the cool, crisp autumn air. To me, it's the perfect weather for  ..................
..................  soup!

My daughter has a lovely open air market just blocks from her house which sells the freshest, most delightful produce you've ever seen. I've posted several times before about this amazing market, and if you're a regular visitor to The Café, you might remember that I tend to loose my brains when I visit this market. My heart starts skipping a beat when I get near and I always promise myself, "Now don't buy too much." "Control yourself, control yourself..." is my mantra as I approach, ................ but it's always to no avail.

In the past I've returned home with my arms aching from lugging multiple bags loaded with asparagus, carrots, avocados, oranges, fresh herbs, apples, cherries, bananas, mushrooms, potatoes and other seasonal delights. My daughter had a surprise for me when I arrived at her house this time, a wonderful surprise, but one that doesn't help my propensity for overindulgence at the market. She got me one of these..................

I'm not sure what the proper name for this is but I call it a "schlepper",
I like that name better than  "old lady's rolling shopping cart", is that what you call it? :)

I don't care what its proper name is, 
I have the feeling that this  schlepper and I  are going to become great friends ...........

............ so now I CAN go crazy at the market! Well, at least to a certain degree ............ When I visited yesterday, I had to eventually stop, otherwise, I might have had to attach a little trailer behind my schlepper! I did have fun though, and this wonderful Curried Parsnip & Apple Soup is one of the recipes I will be making with some of my market "bounty"! I made this before I left for London for my son and daughter-in-law - it was delicious and received rave reviews from all who partook!

A bit of smokey bacon is a wonderful garnish for this yummy soup.

P.S. I shared on Monday that we have a new grandson, Luke and that we're here to help the family transition.. Mommy and baby are doing well and the big sisters are happy to have their new brother home. A few fun pics ....................

Oh, and you may have noticed, I'm a bit slow on the draw with blogging these days. I'm trying to get my fill of holding this sweet baby boy and hanging out with the big girlies.

Checking out the new bro for the first time ...................

Do you think he could have been saying, 
"Oh dear, do I really have 3 sisters?"

A fun welcome home for Mum and baby Luke ........

Curried Parsnip & Apple Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound fairly tart apples that soften easily when cooked, such as Empire, Jonathan, or Macintosh
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks (white and light-green parts only), chopped and well rinsed (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium shallots, peeled and chopped
1½ tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic (about 2 medium cloves)
2 teaspoon mild curry powder

1 teaspoon crushed coriander seed (or coriander powder)
⅓ cup dry white wine
2 medium parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cored, and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 large yellow potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups lower-salt chicken broth
1 can coconut milk, 14-15 ounces

sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives, for garnish
crumbled bacon, for garnish, if desired

Instructions:
1. Cut 1 quarter from one of the apples.Wrap the unpeeled quarter in plastic wrap and reserve. Peel, core, and quarter the rest of the apples. Chop the peeled apples into 1/2-inch pieces and toss with the lemon juice in a medium bowl.

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-duty 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, onion and shallow; cook, covered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Stir in the ginger, tomato paste, garlic, and curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add the chopped apple, parsnips, and potatoes and stir to coat well. Add the chicken broth and 1-1/2 tsp. salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low, partially cover then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples and vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

5. In a blender, purée the soup in batches until completely smooth. Transfer the soup to a clean 4-quart saucepan, stir in the coconut milk, and season to taste with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Cut the reserved apple quarter into small dice. Serve the soup sprinkled with the diced apple and chives.

Adapted from Fine Cooking

I'm sharing this at StoneGable's On the Menu Monday



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