A garnish of scallops adds a luxurious finish to this simple, lightly spiced soup.
Ingredients
- For the parsnip soup
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted
butter - 1
shallot, roughly chopped - 1
garlic clove, roughly chopped - 500g/1lb 2oz
parsnips, peeled, cut into medium chunks - 2 sprigs fresh
thyme - 1 tbsp
honey - 2 tsp medium
curry powder - 400ml/14fl oz
vegetable stock - 100ml/3½fl oz double
cream - 1 tbsp
rapeseed oil - 50g/1¾oz
spinach
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted
- For the scallops
- 2 tbsp
rapeseed oil - 4 hand-dived
scallops in their shells, meat removed and cleaned - 4 tbsp
coriander cress
- 2 tbsp
Preparation method
For the soup, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the parsnips, thyme, honey and curry powder and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Pour in the stock and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the parsnips are tender.
Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pan, stir in the cream and gently warm though.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the spinach and a few tablespoons water, then cook until wilted. Keep warm.
For the scallops, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Once hot, add the scallops and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until just cooked through. Remove from the pan and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to rest for a few minutes before serving.
To serve, divide the wilted spinach between shallow serving bowls and pour over the hot soup. Garnish with the scallops and coriander cress.