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Irish American Mom

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Curried Parsnip Crisps

October 17, 2014 by Irish American Mom 7 Comments

Curried parsnip crisps are a perfect garnish for soup, a healthier alternative to store bought crisps or chips, or a simple tasty snack. 

Baked in the oven, these crispy vegetable wafers can be seasoned and spiced up whatever way you choose.

Parsnip chips as a soup garnish

I love to add these flavorful parsnip shavings to the top of parsnip and apple soup -they’re a simple, elegant garnish. They’re also great to pass around as nibblers with soup.

Parsnip crisps is what I like to call these tasty morsels, but I suppose in America they might be called parsnip chips. However, these shavings are thin and crispy, not thick and chunky like an Irish chip, so the name parsnip crisps describes them perfectly.

And you won’t believe how easy they are to make.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 parsnip
  • 1 tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder

 

Shaved parsnip for parsnip chips

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel the parsnip, and discard the skins, so you won’t get them mixed up with the parsnip shavings.

Using the vegetable peeler, scrape thin wafers down the length of the parsnip. Don’t worry if they split halfway down.

Keep turning and shaving the parsnip until you reach the woody core at the center. Throw this away, since it produces coarser, less tasty crisps. (If, like me, you go by the motto waste not want not, you can always toss the parsnip core into the pot when you’re making stock).

Oil and curry powder for parsnip chips

Next, pour the oil into a bowl and mix in the curry powder. I love the flavor of curry with parsnips. Season the oil with salt and pepper if desired. I find these crisps are just fine without any added sodium when spiced up with curry powder.

Chili and Mexican spices work well too. Feel free to experiment with your favorites.

Tossing shaved parsnip in oil and curry powder

 Next, toss the parsnip shavings in the seasoned oil to coat them fully.

Parsnip chips on baking tray

Parsnip crisps can be deep fried in oil, but I prefer to bake mine in a hot oven.

Lay the parsnip shavings in a single layer on a baking tray.

Pop them in the oven for about 5 minutes. Turn them at this point, and then pop them back in for another 5 to 10 minutes. 

These crisps are very thin, so they can burn easily. Since temperatures vary from oven to oven, watch them closely so they do not burn.

Parsnip chips on paper towel

Remove them from the oven and lay them on some paper towels to remove any excess oil.

Once they cool a little they’re ready to eat.

I just can’t help sneaking a few before they ever adorn a soup bowl.

These little snacks are simply delicious, and my kids love them.

Parsnip, apple and curry soup in a shamrock bowl

I hope you enjoy this recipe for a simple vegetable garnish to dress up soups.

Here’s the printable recipe:

Parsnip Crisps

Print recipe
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Parsnip Crisps
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Total time 25 minutes
Meal type Snack
Parsnip crisps are a healthier alternative to store bought crisps or chips, and are a simple tasty snack. They can even be used to garnish soups and salads.

Ingredients

  • 1 Medium parsnip
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder

Directions

Step 1 Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2 Peel the parsnip and discard the skins. Using a vegetable peeler, scrape thin wafers down the length of the parsnip. Keep shaving the parsnip until you reach the woody core. Throw this away.
Step 3 Pour the oil into a bowl and mix in the curry powder. Toss the parsnip shavings in the seasoned oil to coat them fully.
Step 4 Spread the parsnip shavings in a single layer on a baking tray.
Step 5 Bake in the 400 degree F. oven for 5 minutes. Turn them at this point, and return them to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Check the parsnip crisps frequently, since they can burn easily.
Step 6 Transfer the cooked crisps to a layer of paper towels to cool.
Step 7 Serve as a snack, or use to garnish soups and salads.
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Check out my complete recipe list here.

 

Happy snacking.

 

Slán agus beannacht leat!

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cooking, Irish Appetizers And Party Food Tagged With: Chips, Crisps, Curried parsnip crisps, Finger foods, Parsnips, Snacks, Soup garnish, Vegetable Recipes

Potato And Leek Soup

February 6, 2012 by Irish American Mom 46 Comments

Potato and leek soup is a traditional Irish, wintertime, comfort food.  Served with buttered, brown soda bread, it is a delicious warm treat on a cold winter’s day.

 

Some call it leek and potato soup, while others give the potatoes precedence when naming.  I had to go with the name potato and leek soup, since I think this is one of the very best potato soup recipes there is.

Ingredients For Potato And Leek Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 large leeks
  • 1 to 1 and 1/4 pounds of potatoes (3 medium)
  • 1/2 large onion
  • 1 oz butter
  • 2 thyme sprigs (fresh)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Optional

  • 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped chives (to garnish)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon bacon bits (to garnish)

I included bacon and chives in the ingredient picture above, but these are completely optional and used only for garnish.  This soup can be vegetarian if vegetable broth is used.

Let’s begin by preparing the leeks.  Since these vegetable grow upwards through sandy soil, leek leaves can be full of grit and dirt.  Cleaning the leeks is extremely important if you don’t want gritty soup.  We could give a whole new meaning to the southern term ‘grits’ by not washing the leeks well.

Chop the top and the bottoms off the leeks.

Here is a picture of the leeks I used.  Look how much dirt was between the top two layers.

Cut the leeks in half, then chop each half into semicircles about 1/4 inch thick.

Fill a big bowl with water and toss in the leeks.  Use your fingers to separate the layers of each leek slice. Keep parting the layers with your fingers and stirring the pieces in the water.  Let the leeks stand in the water for about 5 minutes.  The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl.

To drain the leeks lift them into a colander with your fingers.  Do not pour the leeks and water into the colander since the settled dirt at the bottom of the bowl will just pour right over and redirty the leeks.  Run some clean water over the leeks in the colander to get rid of any dirt that might still be lingering.

Once drained, dry the leeks with some paper towels.  They should be ready for cooking by now.

Dice the potatoes.

Chop the onion.  Don’t worry about getting the onion too small since the soup will be pureed after cooking.

Now we are ready to cook.  Melt the butter in the bottom of a large soup pot.  I like to use butter rather than oil, since it adds nice flavor and coats the vegetables well for cooking.  Butter is more authentically Irish anyway.

Add the chopped leeks and potato to the pot.  Stir well to coat. Turn the heat down to low.

Toss in the onion and mix well together.

Cover the pot and allow the vegetables to cook slowly, by ‘sweating’ for 15 minutes.  Every 3 minutes remove the lid and stir the vegetables to prevent sticking.

When the vegetables are beginning to soften, add the vegetable broth.  You can use all vegetable broth, or use 2 cups of water and 2 cups of broth.  Chicken stock can also be used if you are not concerned about keeping the soup totally vegetarian.

Next add a the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.  These will be removed at the end of cooking.

Season the soup with white pepper.  Black pepper will leave little specks in the soup when it is pureed, so white works much better.  The flavor of white pepper is more traditionally Irish also.  Growing up in Ireland, we always kept white pepper in our pepper shaker for the kitchen table, not the typical black pepper of America.

Add salt if desired.  I forgot to add salt in my ingredient picture above.  I find store bought stocks are quite salty to begin with so I sometimes skip adding salt.

Turn up the heat to bring the soup to simmering point.  Once it starts to bubble, turn the heat to low and let it cook for another 20 to 25 minutes.  Once cooked, remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender.  If you don’t have one of these the soup can be transferred in batches to a blender, then pureed.  Return the soup to the pot once it is smooth.

Add the heavy whipping cream and stir into the soup.  I use a half cup, but if you really like creamy soup, use up to 1 cup of cream.

Serve warm garnished with chopped chives and bacon bits if desired.  Irish brown bread is a perfect accompaniment to this creamy potato soup with a delicate onion flavor.

Here is the printable recipe:

Potato And Leek Soup

Print recipe
  • Print with main photo
  • Print text only
Potato And Leek Soup
Serves 8
Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 40 minutes
Total time 1 hours, 10 minutes
Meal type Soup
Region Irish
Potato and leek soup is a traditional Irish, wintertime, comfort food. Served with buttered, brown soda bread, it is a delicious warm treat on a cold winter’s day.

Ingredients

  • 2 Large leeks
  • 1 to 1 and 1/4lb potatoes (3 medium)
  • 1/2 Large onion
  • 1oz butter
  • 2 thyme sprigs (fresh)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Optional

  • 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped chives (to garnish)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon bacon bits (to garnish)

Directions

Step 1 Chop the leeks. Wash them in a bowl of water, allowing the grit to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Lift the sliced leeks into a colander to drain. Rinse well and pat dry before using.
Step 2 Dice the potatoes and onion.
Step 3 Melt the butter in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add the leeks, potatoes and onions, stirring to coat them in melted butter. Turn the heat to low. Cover the pot and allow the vegetables to 'sweat' for 15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes to prevent burning.
Step 4 Add the vegetable broth, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, salt and pepper.
Step 5 Turn up the heat and bring to simmering point. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Step 6 Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender or in batches using a food processor or blender.
Step 7 Add the heavy whipping cream and stir into the soup. I use a half cup, but if you really like creamy soup, use up to 1 cup of cream.
Step 8 Serve hot in soup bowls. Garnish with bacon bits and chives if desired.
Powered by GetMeCooking

Wishing you all happy soup making.

 

Check out my complete recipe list here.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cooking, Irish Soups And Stews, The Spud Saga Tagged With: All Recipes, Cooking, Creamed Irish Soup, Irish Food and Recipes, Irish Soup, Irish Winter Soup, Leek and Potato Soup, Leek Soup, Potato and Leek Soup, Vegetable Recipes

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https://www.irishamericanmom.com/2015/03/14/ireland-a-land-of-trees-in-the-time-of-saint-patrick/
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