Creamy Parsnip Soup with Homemade Stock
Holidays are over and now is the time to save more money and avoid wasting food.
We keep a zip lock bag in the freezer and as we prepare meals, we throw clean vegetable peels and scraps into the bag, Almost any vegetable will do (even corn cobs!), as will herb pieces. Most common as a stock base are onions, celery, carrots.
Freeze meat bones or turkey or chicken carcasses as well, depending whether you want a vegetable stock or one with a poultry or meat base. Strong tasting vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli are usually not used. Beets will turn your stock red, so use cautiously.
Homemade Stock
Cover vegetables and/or meat/poultry bones with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer vegetables until soft and bones for about 2 hours. Remove any fat on the top with a skimmer and cool. Strain out vegetables and/or bones in a sieve or colander, pressing down to remove all liquid.
We make a large amount of stock, which freezes beautifully. Freeze in quart size zip locked bags or ice cube trays for easy defrosting. Use as stock in our Creamy Parsnip Soup or in your favorite soup recipe .
Creamy Parsnip Soup
Serves 6-8
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound leeks or onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds parsnips, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
1 medium baking potato, diced
2 apples, cored and cut into 1” pieces
8 cups homemade stock (see recipe below)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chives, minced, for garnish
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In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the leeks or onions until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.
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Add parsnips, potato and apple. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered until vegetables are tender, 20-25 minutes.
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Remove the soup from the heat, cool and using an immerser, blend until the mixture is smooth and silky. Season with salt and pepper.
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Garnish: Finely chop chives. Sprinkle on top of each soup bowl. A swizzle of cream or soy creamer adds to the presentation.
expandthetable suggestions
1. Substitute sweet potatoes, acorn or butternut squash for parsnips. Follow the recipe.
2. Substitute carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, or turnips for parsnips. Omit apple and then follow recipe.
3. Try fennel instead of garlic and onions. A lovely more subtle version.
Tip: Add about 10 peppercorns to a tea infuser or tea ball when cooking the stock. So easy to remove the peppercorns!
