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
- For the scallops
-
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 4 hand-dived scallops in their shells, meat removed and cleaned
- 4 tbsp coriander cress
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.
James Martin recipes from Saturday Kitchen
Less than 30 mins preparation time
10 to 30 mins cooking time
Serves 4
