a winter warmer: parsnip and chorizo soup

It's been a bit nippy here in London for the past two or three days. Brilliantly sunny, crisp, and clear as well - but nippy, nonetheless. The kind of weather that, if you go out for a walk, you become nicely heated from the inside, but also end up sporting rather fetching red tips to your ears and nose. If you're really lucky, you might also get the benefit of watery eyes and blotchy cheeks to match.

I was hoping we'd left soup weather behind, but clearly not. So here's one I whisked up earlier - parsnip and chorizo soup.

This one serves every purpose - the creamy sweetness of the parsnip is a lovely comforter, while the intense spiciness of the chorizo provides the perfect foil and just the right level of interest.

I didn't follow a recipe for this (although you'll find plenty of variations on the theme on the worldwide interwebby), so you'll have to make your own version and cross fingers and toes that it works out in much the same vein. If it doesn't, please don't come complaining to me. I did warn you.

All I did was to gently saute a couple of shallots, chopped finely, in some olive oil until translucent. I then threw in a medium carrot, diced reasonably small, and sweated it with the onion for a few moments. Finally, I added 3 good-sized parsnips, chopped into chunks of about an inch or so square, plus somewhere between 750 ml and a litre of chicken stock.

I then brought it all to the boil, turned the heat down, and let it simmer away for about 20 mins until the vegetables were tender - at which point, I added seasoning to taste, together with a small pinch of smoked paprika, and got the blender do its magic.

For the chorizo crumbs, simply fine dice some soft chorizo and fry gently until crisp and coloured - a matter of moments. Dry off on some kitchen paper, and then add to the soup.

And Bob's your proverbial uncle.