Spicy parsnip soup: a thermomix recipe

. . . but  easy to do the more conventional way too.

It's more or less based on a soup I found online which I now can't find, annoyingly enough.  If I do, I'll edit this message.  I haven't got a bee-you-tee-ful photo, just this snap of the soup immediately after I had poured it from Thermione into the pyrex bowl.  I made the full amount but next time will halve the quantities as it made loads.

I'm trying this way of setting out Thermione recipes because I've seen it on another site and found it very helpful.  Any comments?

Ingredients and method 

a knob of butter
a medium onion (I used three shallots because that's what I had), quartered
two cloves of garlic
one red chilli (I deseeded mine)
a 'thumb' of ginger, peeled and sliced into 'coins'
Place all of these ingredients above in the bowl and zizz at speed 4/5 until chopped.
Saute for 4 mins at 100, speed 2

1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 cardomom pods
1 tsp garam masala
Place the spices in the bowl and continue to saute as above for another 5 mins by which time it should be smelling wonderfully aromatic.

6 large-ish parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
Toss the parsnips into the bowl and chop on speed 6 until the chunks are small - it doesn't take long at all.

4 heaped tsps vegetable stock paste or a little more
1.2 litres water 
A grinding of pepper
Add the stock paste and pepper and then carefully pour in the water.  It should take the mixture up to the 2 litre mark.  Don't go any higher.
Cook for 25 mins, 100, speed 3/4.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then carefully zizz at 9/10 until the soup is very smooth and creamy in texture.  I took some out as I'm still slightly nervous about zizzing when it's nearly full.  I gave each half about 20 - 25 seconds.  As you blend, place a folded tea towel over the cup and gently keep it in place with your hand, being careful not to allow any steam to scald.
Taste and adjust salt seasoning if necessary.  Personally, I found the salt in the stock paste was just enough but if another stock was used it might need some adding.

The original recipe suggests re-eating up to boiling and serving with cream, olive oil, cumin seeds, sliced chilli and coriander leaves.  It would look pretty, certainly, but I'm going to reduce that to a good dollop of thick yoghurt and roughly chopped coriander leaves.

I gather it freezes well.