Good Things

After a brief cold snap, winter is coming slowly this October. I harvested the first of the parsnips last week and so lunch today was curried parsnip soup. This is a classic soup which can absorb any number of variations (old apples and creme fraiche in my case today) and is a fond reminder of family for me. It's not that it was cooked often in our house but it is the original invention of Jane Grigson and comes from her classic cookbook Good Things. This book was always around in both Glasgow and Drumbuidhe and my mum gave me my own copy when I left home at 18 - a rite of passage. My latest move from Glasgow to Edinburgh has been rather chaotic and my copy of Good Things has gone missing, hopefully temporarily since my wee flat doesn't really feel like a home without it.

Curried Parsnip Soup

3 parsnips
1 onion
2 small apples
butter
1 teaspoon medium curry powder
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
1 pint water
creme fraiche

* peel and core the apples and roughly chop the parsnips and onions
* fry the vegetables with the curry powder over a medium heat for a couple of minutes
* add the water and vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer slowly for at least half an hour
* add the creme fraiche, blend the soup and season to taste

The nostalgic haze on my photographs is due to a broken lens cover on my phone which has allowed dirt to get in. This does obscure the writing on my notepad which refers to the checking and rechecking of building performance statistics. What shines through despite the haze is the bright mustard wall colour which was selected to show off my kimonos and calligraphy.

The soup is finished so it's back to statistics for the time being.