I had this soup at an outdoor restaurant a couple of weeks ago and was trying to recreate it at home. Parsnips by themselves are not a fun root vegetable to eat. This soup makes it easy to enjoy the parsnip and feel good about drinking your vegetables.
The vegetables can be either roasted in a pan or sautéed in a pot (either method works.) I do like to keep a bunch of freezer friendly soups on hand for a quick WFH lunch with minimal effort. Even if I take out of the freezer, I can reheat the soup without babysitting and watching the pot while I continue with my work. In this version I added finely diced carrots and cucumbers, some sourdough croutons, and a teaspoon of parsley gremolata. Any pesto or chili oil or any flavored olive oil works just as well. Trader Joes chili onion crunch will pair very well with this soup.
| Mild | Medium | Spicy | |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | tablespoon oil |
| 3 | 5 | 8 | cloves garlic |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | bulb fennel |
| 1/2 | 1 | jalapeno | |
| 1 | 1 1/2 | 2 | inch ginger |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | leeks, chopped |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | teaspoon salt |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | quart stock |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | stalk lemon grass or 1 tablespoon of lemon zest |
- Pre-heat oven to 420º Fahrenheit.
- While the oven is heating, roughly chop the parsnips & fennel. Peel the ginger and garlic.
- Toss in a tablespoon of oil with salt roast in the oven for about 15 – 20 minutes. Let it cool completely.
- While the vegetables are cooling, bruise the lemon grass with a knife until it releases a lemony aroma. Cut into one inch stalks and add to the cooled vegetables.
- Once cooled, blend in a blender to desired smoothness. I like it exceptionally smooth, but if you like a coarser texture, stop blending before it is smooth.
- Add to a pot large enough to hold the blended mix and a quart of vegetable stock.
- Add the soup, water (or broth) and let come to a boil.
- Serve with some chopped carrots, cucumbers, radish, and a few drops of chili oil.
ALTERNATIVES
| Vegetable | Onions | Other | Chilies |
| Parsnip | Leeks | Ginger | Jalapenos |
| Zuchinni | Shallots | Galangal | Habanero |
| Squash | Ramps | Garlic | Black pepper |
| Beets | Fennel | Apples |
- This soup can be made with any mix cruciferous and root vegetables. Red beets will turn the color of the soup to a bright red. Use the lighter colored beets if the red soup is not appealing.
- I like ginger in everything, you do not have to use ginger at all.
- Add one or half an apple to the vegetables while roasting. Apples will ad a bit of sweetness and reduce the sharpness of the parsnip.
- Top with finely diced vegetables (avocado is always a good choice, but carrots, cucumbers, peppers work just as well.)
- Pesto, gremolata, or any flavored oil are a great topping for the soup