'snip 'snip

hello again dear friends.


i must admit i've been a bit lazier in the blogging department than i have been on the cooking front..which translates to a whole lotta pics of food, and no posts about them. 
although i'm not sure i'm ready to make a definitive statement like "the lazy train stops HERE", i think the taste and pics of this particular parsnip soup are worth the immense finger efforts that i'm currently making.


i used a recipe from a fabulous soup cookbook i have. i've had this book for years, and though i use it pretty often, i have yet to exhaust its seemingly endless offering of fail-proof and easy recipes. also, beautiful pictures on every page. that's a deal-maker for me, since i often just look at the picture for inspiration without reading the actual recipe. 
if you want to get it, click here!


what i like best about the book is, if i have something in my fridge, say, parsnips (something i usually don't have any of, but for some reason i had in abundance), i just look in the back index -which is listed by main ingredients, for parsnip, under which there happened to be 3 different recipes! great!!


i chose one, et voila! here it is.


-fry a cooking onion in a large pot with butter, add peeled and chopped parsnips and let cook for a few minutes.
-add chopped stems of cilantro, powdered cumin, turmeric, paprika and a dash of cayenne pepper and cook for an additional minute or so.
-add water or chicken stock and boil for 30-40 minutes, (until soft).
-remove from heat and blend.
-add cream and stir.
-serve with fried mustard seed and julienned garlic, and i made some parsnip chips using a regular peeler to make thin shavings of parsnip and then frying them in a bit of oil until they turn crisp. salt and pepper and enjoy!

the topping is essential. mmm caramalized garlic.