Parsnip, butterbean & rosemary soup with lemon crème fraîche

Name: Parsnip, butterbean & rosemary soup with lemon crème fraîche
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; 2 clove/s garlic, roughly chopped; ½ tsp sea salt flakes, plus more to taste; 500 g bag Essential Parsnips, peeled and cut into bitesized pieces; 3 sprig/s rosemary, leaves finely chopped, plus a little more to serve; 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder; 400 g can Essential Butter Beans In Water (undrained); ½ unwaxed lemon, zest and juice, to serve; 200 ml tub crème fraîche, to serve

Having some rosemary in the freezer means a soup like this recipe from Elly Curshen is a store-cupboard job. Just pick up a bag of Essential Parsnips and something cool and creamy to top it with. Crème fraîche is used here, but you can use up soured cream, cream cheese or double cream if you have any.

5 out of 5 stars(5) Rate this recipe

Vegetarian2 of your 5 a day

Serves4
CourseStarter
Prepare15 mins
Cook30 mins
Total time45 mins

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Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 clove/s garlic, roughly chopped
½ tsp sea salt flakes, plus more to taste
500g bag Essential Parsnips, peeled and cut into bitesized pieces
3 sprig/s rosemary, leaves finely chopped, plus a little more to serve
2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
400g can Essential Butter Beans In Water (undrained)
½ unwaxed lemon, zest and juice, to serve
¾ x 200ml tub crème fraîche, to serve

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and salt to the pan, mix well, then cover and cook for 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Boil a full kettle.
Add the parsnips and rosemary to the pan, stir and cook for a minute or so, then add the bouillon and about 700ml boiling water, or enough to just cover the vegetables. Stir well and cook, covered, over a medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the parsnips are tender
Add the butter beans and their liquid, then cook for 2 minutes more. Blitz using a stick blender until smooth. Add more water if it’s too thick and season to taste with more salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Stir the lemon zest and juice into the crème fraîche, to taste. Serve the soup with a big spoonful of lemon crème fraîche and an extra sprinkle of finely chopped rosemary on top. The soup freezes well in portions.

Cook’s tip

More leftover rosemary ideas

1. For a rosemary & Manchego tart, try tossing a little of both with thinly sliced new potatoes and a glug of double cream, to top a simple puff pastry tart. A layer of cream cheese under the potatoes makes a great base.

2. Rosemary sugar-roast peaches make an easy, elegant dessert. Blitz sugar with a little rosemary. Sprinkle the mixture over the cut sides of halved, destoned peaches and cook in a pan of melted butter. Roast in the oven until tender. Serve with whipped, sweetened vanilla cream.

3. Try infusing a jug of water or a gin and tonic with a sprig of rosemary