Parsnip Soup with Cashew Basil Purée

Seeing as the season for parsnips is slowly coming to a halt & they are my favorite winter root vegetable, I had to post a parsnip recipe. The parsnips I used in this soup were straight from the farmer’s market & I couldn’t have asked for anything any better tasting!

Similar to the Butternut squash soup, this is easy and delicious. The first time I made this soup I made the mistake of not peeling the parsnips and using potato as a thicker. The soup came out a bit sour for my liking so I changed a couple of things. Usually when I make parsnips I roast them with the peel on & they end up being delectable, so begin a creature of habit, I didn’t peel them for the soup. When I tried it again, I swapped flour for the potatoes & peeled the parsnips. Just changing those little things yielded a big improvement in the flavor.

Parsnip Soup:  1 white onion, cubed,   3 large parsnips, peeled & cubed into 1/2 inch pieces,  3 cloves of roasted garlic,  4 cups of organic vegetable (or chicken) stock,  1/4 cup all-purpose flour (sweet rice flour would probably work as a GF alternative), 2 Tbsp Ghee (or butter),  1/2 tsp nutmeg & dried thyme & olive oil

Cashew Basil Purée:  1 cup basil,  1/4 cups raw cashews,  1/4 cup olive oil,  1 tsp fine grain sea salt & black pepper

Soup: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wrap whole garlic cloves in aluminum foil & roast for 20 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, add Ghee & onion to a medium sauce pan. Saute over medium heat until caramelized, then add parsnips. Add thyme. After 5-10 minutes, when parsnips have softened, turn down heat, add flour & season with salt & pepper. Mix thoroughly until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add stock & simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the soup has thickened & all of the vegetables are soft, remove the skins from the roasted garlic & add the cloves to the soup. Purée soup in a blender (my preference) or food processor in small batches until smooth.

Transfer back to a clean sauce pot and season with nutmeg, salt & pepper.

Purée: Add all ingredients to a food processor & process until desired consistency. Top finished soup with a hefty scoop of  this creamy goodness.

When ready to serve, drizzle extra virgin olive oil into the soup to complement the already earthy flavor. If you have the opportunity, Great Harvest 9 Grain bread, dipped in olive oil & broiled until crunchy is the perfect accompaniment.

Enjoy!