When Nina sent through this recipe I immediately started drooling. I KNOW this is one my whole family will LOVE and there’s nothing better than hot soup on a cold winter day. To go with it she’s offering up a copy of THE BOY IS BACK IN TOWN – out in the UK in November and not until April in North America! Take it away, Nina!

On a cold frosty day I love to have this soup simmering in the pan, filling the kitchen with the wonderful aromatic aroma of the spice. All ready to pour into large bowls with toasted good bread on the side.

Caramelized Sweet Potato and Parsnip Spicy Soup

Serves 4 cold hungry people and more.

A little cardamom in this soup gives it a lovely, warming fragrance without overpowering the flavor of the caramelized root vegetables. You can substitute other root vegetables such as swede but a good home made stock makes all the difference. And if you are in the mood – a swirl of cream and fresh ground nutmeg before serving would be lovely.

3 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped [ optional]

1 large onion, finely chopped.

2 celery sticks, finely chopped, plus

1 leek, cut into thin rings.

Few sprigs of thyme or teaspoon dried mixed herbs

30g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6-8 cardamom pods

2 large sweet potatoes plus I large or 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped into small pieces

1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup – or more if you are using swede or like a sweeter soup

1.5-2l hot chicken or vegetable stock

Grating of nutmeg, to serve

1 Heat a large preferably nonstick pan with the olive oil. Stir in the garlic if used, onion and celery and leek and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the herbs and a few knobs of butter and seasoning.

2 Crush the cardamom pods with the back of a knife and add to the pan. Sweat the vegetables for 5 more minutes until they are soft and translucent, but not browned.

3. Stir in the chopped sweet potatoes and parsnips, drizzle over the honey or maple syrup and cover the pan with a lid. This will encourage condensation and prevent the onions from burning. Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and caramelised as you like them. If they do catch, simply add a little water.

4 Pour in enough hot stock to cover the vegetables and simmer until very well cooked.

5 Liquidize the soup until really smooth, adding a few knobs of butter if you like for a velvety finish.

6 Reheat the soup and adjust the consistency, adding more hot stock to thin it down if needed. Season again to taste and serve in warm bowls with a grating of nutmeg.

To win THE BOY IS BACK IN TOWN, just leave a comment below! We’re soon going to be posting a winner’s list so keep checking back to see if your name’s up!

Who’s that guy?

There was a time when the devastatingly sexy Ethan Chandler left Marigold Chance blushing and tongue-tied, but thankfully that’s all in the past. Now that the ice-cool international yachtsman has sailed smoothly back into her life, she’s determined to show him that the ugly duckling’s become a thoroughly modern swan – a beautiful, driven businesswoman with no time for him! Yet Ethan seems equally determined to ruffle her perfectly groomed feathers and show her what she’s been missing out on – it’s time to let go and live for the future!