August? You’d be right to think it wasn’t. Where has my summer gone? At this stage I’m looking forward to the kids heading back to school because the first week of September is usually sunny here in Ireland. I always remember going back to school after the summer holidays and the sun splitting the stones. Around here the sun is not in season but parsnips are. This is a truly versatile vegetable from mash to honeyed chips, it really is a gem. We should be al fresco dining these days but the weatherman has other plans. With this poor weather we are having I decided to make a soup. Yes, soup, not a chilled Spanish gazpacho but a proper warm soup. Give it a try if you need a little comfort.

Ingredients:

4 parsnips

100g raisins

100g unsalted butter

80ml marsala wine

Salt and pepper for seasoning

The Make:

Put raisins into a mug and top up with boiling water from the kettle. Once they have plumped up drain water off and add marsala wine. Let them soak for 15 minutes Slice parsnips and fry them in a pan with butter. Until they start to go brown at the edges. Now add the raisins and bring it up to a little simmer for a few minutes. Place all of the cooked ingredients into a food processor and blend until it is smooth. Pass soup through a sieve to remove any of the raisin that didn’t blend. Pour back into a pot and bring it back to your desired heat. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Enjoy.