Curried Parsnip Soup with Curried Croutons

 

The guys have gone to deer camp, so my sister came up to visit me at the lakehouse.   The rain we've been getting has turned to snow finally; it's been a very warm long autumn here.   So it is a perfect day for soup!

My friend Kirstin shared with me a curried parsnip soup recipe she makes, so I decided to give it a try.   I made a few tweaks to the recipe, but it came out delicious!  This recipe is a keeper.

Curried Parsnip Soup with Curried Croutons

For the soup:

2 T butter
2 med. onions, chopped 
1 T. grated fresh ginger
1 T. curry powder
2 t. cumin
2 lb. parsnips, peeled and diced small
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
6 c. chicken stock
1 sm. container plain Greek yogurt
curried croutons (see below) lemon peel and lemon wedges, for serving

In a dutch oven, saute onion in butter until soft.   Add seasonings and cook for a minute or two, until fragrant.  Add parsnips, potato and chicken stock, and simmer until parsnip is soft, about 30 minutes.  Using a stick blender, puree in pot until smooth.  Blend in yogurt. Garnish with lemon peel and croutons; pass lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

Curried Croutons

2 slices bread
1 T, curry powder
juice from half a lemon

2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 F.   Mix curry powder, butter and lemon juice together in a small bowl, and brush bread with mixture.   Cut bread into small cubes.   Bake on a cookie sheet untilcrisp and golden, about 20 minutes.