The Big Food Blog

Parsnip and Pear Soup

British weather can throw us a curve any time of the year, so get prepared with this tummy warmer!

Published

3 years ago

December 21, 2019

The Felixstowe Magazine

British weather can throw us a curve any time of the year, so get prepared with this tummy warmer!

Soup Ingredients

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 pepper

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

11⁄2 cups of double cream

1 lb 12 oz parsnips, peeled and chopped

12 oz artichokes, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp 1 tsp garam marsala

2 tsps ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

4 cups of water

3 cups of chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

Method

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the parsnips, artichokes and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly golden, 5 minutes. Stir in the garam masala, cumin, turmeric and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the water, chicken stock and cream. Bring to a simmer; cook until the vegetables are soft, 25 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until very smooth. Pour the soup into a clean saucepan and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Topping Ingredients

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1⁄2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

11⁄2 tsp walnut oil

1 small Bosc or d’Anjou pear, finely chopped

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 Tbsp chopped tarragon

Kosher salt

Pepper

Method

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil. Add the walnuts and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until golden, 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic and lemon juice. Scrape the mixture into a small bowl and toss with the walnut oil. Cool to room temperature, then stir in the pear, parsley and tarragon; season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup sprinkled with the topping. Enjoy!

Note: The soup can be refrigerated for 3 days and reheated gently before serving.

Related Topics:Felixstowe Food Parsnip & Pear Soup The Big Food Blog

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The Big Food Blog

Birdy’s Onion Bhajis

Published

3 years ago

June 28, 2020

The Felixstowe Magazine

“…A little taste of India”

The bhajis

Ingredients

4 heaped tbsp gram flour

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/2 tsp green chillies (to taste)

1 large onion, sliced

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tbsp plain yoghurt

2 tbsp chopped tinned tomoatoes

1 tsp salt

2 large cups of vegetable oil

Method

1. Mix together all ingredients except gram flour. Add gram flour and mix in.

2. Over medium heat, heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan until oil is hot.

3. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and push into the oil with a second tablespoon to form fairly round balls. The bhajis should firm up quite quickly. Cook in batches of 10. Keep stiring them so that they brown evenly.

4. Drain on plenty of paper towels to allow excess oil to be absorbed. Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

To fill your bhajis up a bit more, you can also add sliced cauliflower, potatoes and/or aubergines (lightly boil before adding to your bhaji mixture).

The sauce

Ingredients

1 tsp ground coriander seeds (fry then grind)

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds (fry then grind)

1 cup natural yoghurt

Salt and pepper to taste

Or you can simply have your bajees with tomato ketchup, or mint sauce.

Method

1. Roast the spices in a frying pan

2. Remove from heat and stir in the yoghurt

A traditional Punjabi starter brought to by Mummy Birdy

Shopping & Businesses

Felixstowe’s Hit Eaterie Branches out in Response to COVID-19

Published

3 years ago

June 12, 2020

The Felixstowe Magazine

One of Felixstowe’s favourite cafes, ‘Spud Hut’ has announced it will be extending its offering to customers in response to Coronavirus.

The much-loved lunchtime eaterie, which offers homemade filled jacket potatoes, salads, paninis, cakes and fresh coffee, re-opened on the 20th May, providing collection-only lunches.

Now, as social distancing restrictions mean that they are unable to welcome dine-in customers, the team is launching an innovative new lunch option, offering freshly-made sweet and savoury crepes to collect from the front of the shop.

Spud Hut owner Hannah Walker explains, “Along with the majority of local businesses, we’ve been significantly impacted by Covid-19, and restrictions mean it will be some time before we can welcome people to sit in the shop to enjoy their food and drink.

“We’ve not backed down from a challenge yet though, so we’ve come up with a new way to provide even more homemade foods for people to enjoy that they can collect and eat ‘on the go’ or take home.

“We wanted to come up with something that people in Felixstowe can’t already buy – so sweet and savoury crepes were the answer!

“We really hope they will be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. We can’t wait to hear the feedback and reviews of our customers, so do come along and give them a try.”

The new crepes will cater for vegan and gluten free diets and will be available alongside the traditional menu.

Spud Hut is currently open from 10am-2pm Weds – Fri for takeaways / collections only. Check the Spud Hut Facebook page for news and updates.

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