Parsnip – the forgotten vegetable

What is a parsnip? Have you ever tried one? The parsnip is a root vegetable closely related to carrot and contains a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, including dietary fiber, folate, potassium and vitamin C. Parsnips are often referred to as the “forgotten vegetable.” Try it today and maximize the health benefits from parsnips by preparing this healthy parsnip soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 x 5 cm piece fresh ginger
  • olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 6 parsnips
  • 500 ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 750 ml organic vegetable stock
  • fresh parsley

Optional: crusty bread to serve e. g. quinoa-bread or extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top for serving.

Additional tip: try using coconut milk instead of regular milk.

Preparation

  1. Peel the onion, garlic and ginger, and roughly chop.
  2. Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and garam masala. Gently cook for 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and sweet.
  3. Meanwhile, peel the parsnips and chop into 3 cm chunks. Stir them into the onion mixture until well coated.
  4. Pour in the milk and stock, season well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid on.
  5. After half an hour, check that the parsnips are cooked by sticking a knife in. If you’re happy, remove them from the heat and blitz with a stick blender until smooth and creamy. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning as required.
  6. Deseed and finely chop the chilli, and scatter over the soup, if you like.

Delicious served with crusty bread and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Note:

When eating the “wrong food” the immune system produces specific IgG antibodies which can lead to inflammatory processes. The symptoms appear on a delayed basis, up to three days after the consumption of a trigger food, making it virtually impossible to identify a trigger food without testing.