Parsnips are sweet and delicious; cooked up with bacon and onion they make a fabulous winter soup. Make sure you have firm parsnips and if you're a garlic lover, adding a couple more cloves for good measure.

Ingredients

• 600 grams parsnips, peeled and diced
• 6 sundried tomatoes

Garnish

• 2 sundried tomatoes

Crostini with Feta

• ¼ cup oil or melted butter
• 4 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper to season
• 2 rashers lean bacon, rind removed
• 2 tblsp chopped Italian parsley
• 1 French or ciabatta loaf
• 100 grams feta cheese
• 1 tblsp oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 rashers lean bacon, without rind, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion and bacon until the onion is softened and the bacon crisp. Add the garlic and cook a further minute or two
2. Add the parsnips, chicken stock and sundried tomatoes and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the parsnips are tender.
3. Process the mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and return to the saucepan to keep warm. (For a very smooth soup, pour back into the saucepan through a sieve.)

Garnish

1. Grill or pan-fry bacon rashers until crisp, cool then crumble. Finely slice the sundried tomatoes.
2. Serve the soup hot in bowls with a little bacon, sundried tomato and chopped parsley on top, accompanied by crostini.

Crostini

1. Cut the bread into 1cm wide slices. Brush both sides with oil or melted butter. Place on a baking tray and bake at 180°C for 10 minutes until crispy. Spread with crumbled feta cheese.