Roast Carrot and Parsnip Soup

This was originally "leftovers soup" which was so good that I made it again to be enjoyed as a soup in its own right. Certainly, it went down a storm as far as my other half was concerned - the first batch yielded 8 servings and I only got to eat one of them.

I know parsnips take a lot of flack from people,  but for me if you roast them there's few things more delicious. And in this soup they lend a wonderful sweetness. I roasted both the parsnips and carrots before simmering gently to bring out the flavours before blitzing into a wonderfully smooth and comforting soup.

Ingredients (serves 8):

750g carrots

500g parsnips

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp olive oil

1.5 litres vegetable stock

200ml sour cream

20g fresh coriander

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat an oven to 150°C, then while it's warming up cut the carrots and parsnips into chunks and toss in a large bowl with the olive oil, cumin and coriander powder. Transfer to a roasting dish and roast for up to an hour. Transfer the carrots and parsnips to a large bowl and simmer in 1.5 litres of vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Then, in batches, blitz in a blender until you have a smooth soup.

Transfer back to the saucepan, then add the nutmeg and sour cream. Roughly chop the coriander and add to the soup. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste and cook gently until hot through - don't let it boil or the soup will curdle.

Enjoy with fresh bread - sometimes the simplest things are the best.