Parsnip Soup
The humble parsnip gets a fabulously elegant makeover in this rich and velvety cream of parsnip soup. After roasting relaxingly in the oven with a blend of helpful aromatics, the parsnips (and their flattering additions) are then treated to a gently simmering bath of vegetable broth where they are enriched with a generous dose of cream and finally kissed with a sexy splash of sherry. When it comes to cold weather cooking, there is no more glamorous or graceful a way to chase away the chill than with a fancy cream soup.
Servings 4 servings (or 6 to 8 as a first course)
Equipment
- immersion blender (alternatively, a food processor or countertop blender)
Ingredients
- 1 pound parsnips peeled, trimmed, and cut into pieces of roughly equal size
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 4 ribs celery roughly chopped
- 1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only) washed well and roughly chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup sherry (preferably a dry variety)
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350℉. Toss parsnips with one tablespoon of the olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on a rimmed baking pan. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Toss the onion, celery, and leek with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and add them to the pan with the partially cooked parsnips. Roast for another 30 minutes or until golden.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a medium saucepan and add the vegetable broth. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, about 20 minutes or until the parsnips are fork tender.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and add the cream.
- Using an immersion blender, purée the mixture until it is velvety smooth. Then stir in the maple syrup and sherry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve the soup simply and beautifully plain or garnish it with a scattering of chopped fresh chives.