✨ Christmas Special: Festive curried Parsnip Soup

🎄 Seasons greetings Soup Enthusiast,

Merry Christmas! Its that time of year again when we all get together for the Christmas holiday. I am sure you, your friends and famally will be coming up with some Christmassy soup and sauce ideas for Christmas dinner.

Make sure to let us know what’s been on your table, even if it is shop bought. I will be taking pictures and notes of our festive feasts to feed the community with inspiration and ideas. You can let us know by replying to our emails or posting on our Facebook group.

🎁 We have a lot to unwrap in this newsletter so lets take a look at todays soup.

🍲 Today's soup: Festive curried parsnip soup

With a blend of spices you can tailor to your taste, this comforting veggie soup is perfect for the Christmas dinner starter. Remember, its not just soup, it’s a bowl of Christmas cheer.

After tasting the soup I have decided it is one of my favorite soups. The aroma of the spices are sure to get your taste buds tingling. The parsnips give it a subtle sweetness. It is a filling soup that is extremally flavorful.

Here is how I would cook it in the future. 

📝 Ingredients: Serves 4

• 1 Onion chopped

• 2 Garlic cloves chopped

• 2.5cm ginger

• 500g Parsnip peeld and chopped

• 1 Tablespoon (change quantity to taste) of curry powder

• 1 Littre of veggie stock

• Salt and pepper

• Naan bread on the side

Recipe 

1. Fry the onions on a gentle heat until soft

2. Add the garlic and ginger, fry for about a minute

3. Add the curry powder and fry for 2 to 4 minutes

4. Add the parsnips and stock, simmer until the parsnips are soft

5. Blend until smooth and season with salt and pepper

6. Serve in a Christmassy bowl with Naan bread on the side

Note 💡 - Ensure the parsnips are rely soft before blending. You can make your own curry powder to add a personal touch to the soup as I did.

Make sure to check out the short video!

Christmas curry powder recipe

After tasting this spice blend some people said they found it a little sharp so consider reducing the smoked paprika to bring out the sweetness of the parsnips.

• Turmeric - 1 teaspoon

• Coriander - 1 teaspoon

• Cinnamon - 1 teaspoon

• Cumin - 1 teaspoon

• Smoked paprika - 1 teaspoon

• Crushed chili flakes - Half a teaspoon

There are so many spices you could use. Why not make your own and try some Christmassy herbs and spices such as ginger, nutmeg, rosemary and time. Make sure to let us know your seasonal spice blends.

Note 💡 - Try out different spices and tailor the spice mix to your taste as some people will find this mix quite spicy.

Christmassy toppings

Here are some festive soup garnishes to add a Christmas touch to your bowls:

• Pomegranate Seeds

• Christmas Tree-shaped Croutons

• Cinnamon Stick Stirrers

• Mini Gingerbread Crisps

• Red and Green herb / spice swirls

• Roasted Chestnut Slices

• Red and green chilli slices

Ingredient of the week: Parsnip 

This week parsnip is the ingredient of the week because it is such a common ingredient for Christmas dinner and the main ingredient of this weeks soup. I challenge you use parsnip in your cooking this week. If you make a soup, sauce or soup-based meal, with the ingredient of the week, you could have the chance of featuring in our next Community Showcase were we will be showcasing all the Christmassy soups you all have had!

Food Fact - Parsnips are easily fermented and once were a popular choice for making wine and beer.

🎅 Today's community showcase 

1. Hit reply and add a picture of your soup, sauce or soup-based meal.

2. Add your insight such as a recipe or tip for the community.

3. Send us your email!

Want a shoutout? Type "Use my name [Your Name]".

🌍 Beyond the ladle: Soup news highlights

Better images for the Soup & Sauce newsletter

I am happy with my progress in indoor food photography and as you can see above I have managed to get a brighter picture. It is far from perfect but this is a good start. I can now focus on composition and presentation of the soup. My next goal is to get a more quality picture by reducing blur in the photography stage and then improving the editing process to make the colors match real life better.

Soups to consider section

You may have notices just bellow I have added a new section called soups to consider. Here I will suggest alternative soups you may like to try.

General improvements

You may not see much difference yet but we need to add the ingredients before stirring the pot. If you have any suggestions, I would be delighted to hear them. 👍

🎄 Christmassy soups to consider 🎄

With the Christmas dinner prep underway parsnip soup may not take your fancy. There are lots of Christmassy soups to consider, take a look at some of these suggestions. Make sure to send in your pictures, tips and recopies!

• 🧈 Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

• 🦃 Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

• 🥕 Ginger and Carrot Soup

• 🌰 Creamy Roasted Chestnut Soup

• 🍄 Mushroom and Thyme Soup

• 🍅 Tomato, Basil and Parmesan Soup

• 🐟 Smoked Salmon Chowder

• 🌿 Veggie Root Soup

🚀 Your turn to stir the pot 

What soups and sauces have you been eating at Christmas dinner? Hit reply and let's stir the pot together! Your insights might just spark the next big flavour in our community.

We have been asking if you prefer smoked salmon or soup for your Christmas dinner starter. Make sure to get involved on Nextdoor or facebook to to cast your vote and see the winner.

As you savor the warmth of delicious soups this Christmas, may your hearts be filled with joy, laughter, and the spirit of Christmas.

From our kitchen to yours, we wish you a Souper Merry Christmas! 🎅
Sean,
Soup & Sauce

🍜 P.S. Soup hack alert! 

Cut your bread into Christmassy shapes such as stars or Christmas trees with cookie cutters. 😉