Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons (30 g) butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 500 g parsnips, cut into small cubes
- 350 g carrots, cut into small cubes
- 150 ml dry sherry
- ⅓ cup (90 g) red lentils
- 1.25 litres vegetable stock, preferably homemade light or rich
- salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons grated horseradish, from a jar
- 6 tablespoons crème fraîche
- fresh chives
Preparation
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
- Add the onion, stir well and cover the pan.
- Sweat the onion over a gentle heat for 10 minutes or until softened.
- Stir in the parsnips, carrots and sherry.
- Bring to the boil, then cover the pan again and leave to simmer very gently for 40 minutes.
- Add the lentils, stock, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan.
- Simmer for a further 15–20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
- Purée the soup in a blender until smooth or use a handheld blender to purée the soup in the pan.
- Return the soup to the pan if necessary, and reheat it gently until boiling.
- If it seems a bit thick, add a little stock or water.
- Stir the grated horseradish into the crème fraîche.
- Snip some of the chives for the garnish and leave a few whole.
- Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top each portion with a spoonful of the horseradish cream.
- Scatter snipped chives over the top and add a few lengths of whole chive across the top of each bowl.
- Serve at once.
Serves 6
Preparation: about 15 minutes
Cooking: about 1¼ hours