creamy curried parsnip soup with black rice

This soup has a lot of happy memories.

I used to make it a lot when Tom and I were newlyweds, in our tiny basement flat in Pimlico, when the air was freezing, autumn leaves were raked up in proud piles in the streets, it got dark at 3:30pm and parsnips were plentiful.  A £1 bag of them would make a vat of this soup and on dark late autumn and winter nights, we would cosy up on our dilapidated old couch and watch movies, pressing pause so we could return to the kitchen for another ladle. I discovered this soup thanks to Shaheen’s Allotment2Kitchen blog all those years ago but I, in true Phil style, made it my own by adding coconut cream and garam masala. Since moving back to Australia, I’ve adapted it further.

We used to make the soup with wild rice, which I never had a problem finding in supermarkets in the UK, but it doesn’t seem to be a thing here. However, black rice is available and it makes a lovely contrast with the fluoro yellow of the soup. You can just use brown rice if that’s all you can find, but black rice does seem to be widely available in Oz and I think it adds interest, contrast and extra health benefits, as well as being super filling!

Parsnips are a sweet root vegetable so the earthy notes of curry powder and turmeric are a perfect partner. You’ll note I’ve refrained from adding heat here – most unusual – but the natural sweetness of the parsnips combined with the spices and rice are so well balanced I feel that adding another flavour component would throw the whole thing off. But I am, as always, willing to be proven wrong.

Until the other night, I hadn’t made this soup for a very, very long time. I don’t see parsnips available in the shops here very often – another reason I’d like to grow them myself when we eventually have a home with space for a bigger vegetable patch – so it hadn’t been on my radar for a while. But then I saw some proud specimens in the grocers after work one night, and not at an exorbitant price (I do miss being able to buy a kilo of them for £1!), so I grabbed them, with the sudden thought that it might be nice to wander down memory lane and try this soup again.

Such a lot has happened these past ten-and-a-half years, but one spoonful of this warming, comforting soup last night and we were right back there in that little flat, with everything that hadn’t happened yet still to come.

creamy curried parsnip soup with black rice

1 ½ cups black rice (or wild rice, if you can find it. Brown will also do)

Olive oil
2 medium or 1 large brown onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
4 large parsnips (approximately 1 kilogram), peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons curry powder (I use medium)
1 x 400ml can coconut cream
3 teaspoons vegetable or “chicken style” stock powder (I use Massel chicken style)
Enough boiling water to cover

 Place the black rice in a saucepan, add 2 cups water, cover and place on a high heat until it comes to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off heat, place a tea towel over the top and replace the lid (I always do this with rice, it absorbs any extra moisture and makes it fluffy) to keep warm. Set aside.

 While the rice is cooking, make the soup.

 Put the kettle on to boil. Get a large stockpot out and drizzle a little olive oil on the base, then place on a low heat to heat up. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes until starting to soften. Add the parsnips, turmeric, garam masala and curry powder and cook for a couple of minutes, until fragrant but not turning brown. You can add water if it’s starting to stick.

Add the tin of coconut cream and stir to combine. I usually swirl out the can with boiling water and add that too, but be careful – boiling water makes cans very hot to touch! You can make up your stock separately in a jug with boiling water from the kettle but I usually don’t bother (don’t want the extra washing up!)  – I add the stock powder to the mixture in the pot and then top up with the boiling water so everything is covered and the stock powder has dissolved.

Either way, everything should now be in the stockpot (except for the rice) so stir well and bring the whole lot to the boil. Turn the heat down once it reaches boiling point, and simmer on a low heat for around 35 minutes, or until the parsnips are tender. My test is to see if they fall apart when pressed with the wooden spoon.

Puree the soup, either with a handheld blender (easiest, as you don’t really have to wait for it to cool down nor reheat it once pureed) or in a food processor, in which case you’ll need to wait for the mixture to cool before blending, and then heat up again before serving.

Taste for seasoning – I find the stock powder (albeit a reduced salt one) is salty enough, but a few turns of the pepper grinder finish it off nicely. To serve, place a large spoonful of black rice in the soup bowl, then ladle the hot silky-smooth parsnip soup on top. Place a sprinkling of black rice on the top to serve.

Ideally, eat in front of the TV on a freezing cold night – it’s guaranteed to make you feel all warm and cosy inside.

classic victoria sponge

I got a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas from my lovely parents - which was a wonderful surprise - so I’ve been getting to know it by attempting to master my favourite cake. Tom and I are both quite partial to a Victoria sponge. In London, I had neither the equipment nor the time to make them regularly but, fortunately, there was a very reliable one we could buy at our local Sainsbury’s. But nothing beats homemade!

Last week my PhD supervisor and I took a little road trip - in the name of research but also for the Westerway Raspberry Farm, which is a quite delightful place. We picked a bucket each of raspberries and I’ve turned mine into gin (currently marinating in the pantry), breakfast yoghurt and granola parfaits, jam and as a filling for this delicious cake. One of my favourite tearooms in London, Drink Shop Do, did a lovely sponge cake with fresh raspberries in the filling. I took full advantage of the bucket of raspberries in my fridge to recreate it!

The wondrous thing about this cake is you can make the filling any flavour you please. Tom’s favourite so far is strawberry jam with buttercream icing (instead of cream), mine is blackcurrant jam with mascarpone (flavoured with a little Westerway blackcurrant syrup, our version of Ribena). I plan to try lemon curd next. The possibilities are endless.

And of course there will be those out there who will say a sponge cake is more the domain of experienced bakers - I gleefully ignore such snobbery and encourage beginners to give this a go! Whether it’s cake-making, piano or yoga, a regular practice is the best path to confidence.

Classic Victoria sponge

230g margarine (you can use unsalted butter if you prefer, but I was advised that margarine makes for a lighter sponge, and that has proved to be the case)
230g caster sugar
230g sifted self-raising flour (occasionally my hand has slipped and it’s ended up being 240g, but that’s fine)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
4 eggs

For the filling: your choice of jam and/or fresh fruit and cream/mascarpone or buttercream icing

Sifted icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 190 C. Grease two 20cm round springform cake tins (sometimes they’re called “sandwich tins”) and line the bases with baking paper.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer, place all the ingredients and beat together for a few minutes until you have a smooth batter.

Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins (I use a digital scale - I usually get around 470g in each one). Smooth the tops with a spatula.

Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until the cakes are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly in the tin before turning out on to a rack to cool completely.

To assemble, spread the mascarpone, cream or buttercream icing over the bottom of one of the sponges. Top with jam and sandwich the second sponge, bottom side down, on top.

Dust the top with icing sugar before serving.

Store in an airtight container and eat within 2 days. Which will not be a problem - send word out to your family that a sponge cake has been made, and it will be gone in no time!

If you make any of my recipes, do tag me on Instagram at @travelling_philbury - I’d love to see!

vegan mushroom stroganoff

It’s not the prettiest meal in the world, but it tastes absolutely divine! You can use any variety of mushrooms you have - and I think it would be equally nice with other spongy vegetables like eggplants or zucchini.

If it’s just me eating, I chop the mushrooms fairly roughly. If Tom is eating it, I chop them up quite finely (it’s a texture thing with him!). It will cook faster if the mushrooms are more finely chopped. Either way it will be delicious.

You can whip this up in about 20 minutes but with its velvety sauce and umami flavours, you’d think you’d slaved over a hot stove for hours. Enjoy!

Vegan mushroom stroganoff

Serves 2-3

Olive or coconut oil
3 large portobello mushrooms, chopped (see note above)
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-5 stalks of silverbeet or chard, finely chopped (stalks and leaves)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (you will need LOTS of pepper!)
1 x 400ml can coconut milk
2 tablespoons brown rice miso paste
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Vegetable stock powder
Fresh parsley and tarragon leaves, chopped, to serve
Basmati rice, to serve

Put the kettle on to boil.

Get a large saute or frying pan ( one with a lid) and add a splash of olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic and chopped silverbeet stalks and cook until they start to soften and brown slightly. Add a little salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Continue cooking for a minute or two, then add the coconut milk, miso, tahini, paprika and cayenne pepper, and turn the heat up slightly, stirring everything to combine. Make some stock from vegetable stock powder and the boiling water from the kettle - I usually do this in the coconut milk can to get every drop of it out, and it’s a handy measurement too, you want about 400ml or just under. Add the stock to the pan, stir well and allow the pot to come to the boil, then reduce right down to a simmer.

Add more freshly ground black pepper if you like. Stir one more time to ensure nothing is caught at the bottom and then put the lid on and set your timer for 15 minutes.

Make your rice while it’s cooking.

After 15 minutes, add the chopped silverbeet/chard leaves, and stir well to wilt the leaves. Allow to simmer another minute or two, taste for seasoning (I usually add more black pepper here), and scatter with chopped parsley and tarragon. Keep warm if you’re waiting for your rice to be ready, otherwise get your serving spoon out!

Serve in bowls with steamed rice and a satisfied smile - for even the mushroom haters tend to love this one.

fennel and butter bean stew

It might be spring during the day here, but it’s still winter at night! With a fat bulb of fennel in one hand and a can of butter beans in the other, I concocted this stew yesterday evening as the temperature dropped and rain lashed at the windows. I was craving warmth, flavour and comfort. A lot to ask from one bowl of food, you might think, but this dish delivered on all fronts! It’s also full of fibre, which is a great bonus.

It’s perfect bowl food in front of the TV but I think it would be snazzy enough to serve to guests too, especially with a lovely glass of wine alongside.

If you think you don’t like fennel, I would urge you to give this a try. It becomes mellow, sweet and juicy and soaks up the nutty and buttery flavours of the sauce beautifully.

Mash is the obvious accompaniment - I made mine with a handful of grated Parmesan in, to give a little extra salty richness, which rounded off everything nicely. You could also serve it with couscous, gnocchi or lightly toasted thick slices of sourdough. Either way, you’ll want something to soak up all that delicious sauce, trust me!

Fennel and butter bean stew with capers

Serves 4

Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large celery stick (including leaves if you like), finely chopped
1 large fennel bulb, chopped into bite-size pieces (save the fronds for garnish)
4-5 large pieces of silverbeet or chard (chop the stems and leaves, then separate and use the stems in the early part of the cooking and save the leaves for adding last)
8-10 sundried tomato halves, plus a little of their oil
1 x 420 g can butter beans, drained
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
Needles from 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
50 g unsalted butter
A large splash of sherry (the kind you’d drink in Seville with tapas!), or white or red wine, even red wine vinegar would be OK
2-3 cups stock (I use the vegan Massel ‘chicken’ stock)
2 tablespoons capers
Salt and pepper

Fill your kettle and put it on to boil.

Get a large casserole or saute pan - I use my Le Creuset casserole dish - and add a splash of olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, fennel pieces and chopped silverbeet stalks and cook until they start to soften.

Add the sundried tomatoes halves plus a little drizzle of their oil, the drained butter beans, bay leaves and rosemary needles, and turn the heat up slightly, stirring everything to combine. Add the butter, turn the heat up a little more. Make your stock from the boiling water from the kettle.

Once the butter is melting/melted and the pan is very hot, add a generous splash or two of sherry or whatever alcohol you have to hand. It should sizzle most satisfyingly! Stir quickly to coat everything and make sure nothing is sticking or starting to get too brown - turn the heat down if so.

Otherwise, add your stock, stir everything well and allow the pot to come to the boil, then reduce right down to a simmer. Add salt and pepper if you like (I often do it here and at the end). Stir one more time to ensure nothing is caught at the bottom and then put the lid on and set your timer for 20 minutes.

Make your mash while the stew is cooking.

After 20 minutes, add the capers and chopped silverbeet/chard leaves, and stir well to wilt the leaves. Allow to simmer another minute or two, taste for seasoning and then get your ladle out, ready to serve!

Serve alongside mash or whatever sponge for the delicious sauce you’ve decided on. Prepare to be wowed!

tinned tomato risotto

Super comforting, nourishing, delicious and on the table in less than half an hour. What more could you want from a bowl of food, I ask you?

If you have arborio rice and a tin of tomatoes in the pantry, you can make this. And once you make it, I’m sure you’ll make it again and again!

You can, of course, use fresh tomatoes in place of tinned if you prefer and have them handy, but personally I find the slightly concentrated flavour of the tinned ones adds so much to the richness of the dish - and evokes the canned tomato soup flavour of childhood that many of us find very comforting. In these strange times, comfort is something to prioritise, not just in cooking.

You don’t need to add cheese if you don’t have any or prefer not to, but little cherry bocconcini are a particularly good addition - a forkful of creamy, sweet and tangy rice combined with those delicious strings of melted mozzarella, it’s like a margarita pizza in a bowl!

Tinned tomato risotto

Serves 4 moderate appetites or 2 extremely hungry bushwalkers

Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
A few large silverbeet stalks, chopped (reserve the leaves for later) [this is optional, I grow silverbeet so put it in everything]
2-3 teaspoons dried oregano and basil, or to taste
50g butter
2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
Splash of red wine, white wine or cooking sherry (or even red wine vinegar at a push)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 x 420g tin peeled plum tomatoes
1 litre boiling hot vegetable stock, plus a little extra
Spinach leaves, silverbeet leaves, fresh basil or oregano, to serve
A handful of cherry bocconcini (or substitute any other cheese you have, ricotta is very nice)
A handful of grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Fill your kettle and put it on to boil.

Get a large saute pan - I use my Le Creuset shallow casserole dish, but I have made this kind of risotto in a stockpot before, just make sure you have a lid - and add a splash of olive oil and place over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and chopped silverbeet stalks and cook until they start to soften.

Add your dried herbs and butter, and once the butter has melted but not coloured, add the rice and turn up the heat. Get the rice coated in the butter. Keep an eye on everything so it doesn’t start to stick or burn but it’s crucial to have the heat high at this point.

Add a generous splash of wine and the pan should sizzle! Stir quickly to coat everything. Add the tomato paste and tin of tomatoes. You can use whatever tinned tomatoes you have but I prefer the whole plum ones because they have great flavour. You can break the tomatoes down with your wooden spoon as you stir.

Get your stock made and then pour a splash into the pan, as you would normally with a risotto. Stir well. Then add the rest of the boiling hot stock, maybe even rinse out the tomato can with boiling water and add that too. You can always cook excess liquid off, but a risotto with insufficient liquid is a disaster!

Stir well, ensure the rice and tomato mixture is entirely covered by hot stock and liquid. Bring to the boil. Add salt and pepper if you like (I often do it here and at the end). Stir one more time to ensure nothing is caught at the bottom and then reduce the heat to a simmer, put the lid on and set your timer for 20 minutes.

This is very unlike the traditional method of making risotto, but once you’ve successfully mastered cooking it this way, you’ll never go back!

You can come back and stir it occasionally if you like, but otherwise after 20 minutes it will be pretty much there. The liquid should have reduced (you still want some liquid, you don’t want it completely dry) and the rice should be tender.

Turn the heat off. Add your green leaves and fresh herbs and any cheese you’re using, and stir through to melt the cheese and wilt the leaves. You can leave it with the lid on again for a few minutes to do this if you like.

Taste and season, serve in wide bowls with a scattering of Parmesan on top and a few basil leaves if you have them.

Deeply satisfying and delicious, this risotto (or a variation thereof) makes an appearance at our table at least once a week. I hope you love it as much as we do!