Parsnip & Apple Soup
If a pot of this soup simmering on your stovetop doesn’t scream autumn than I don’t know what to tell you. I love the flavor combination of earthy parsnips and sweet apples. They just go together and this soup is a great way to highlight these seasonal gems. This soup has a lovely sweetness to it and I even went the extra mile and topped our bowls of soup with caramelized apples (this step should not be skipped!). Because this soup is on the lighter side it’s a great starter soup for a meal. I would recommend dunking hunks of sourdough bread into each bowl to help slurp up all the creamy goodness. I hesitated adding any cream because it’s so creamy on its own but I must say, after taste testing as I went the addition of a little cream (only 1/2 cup) stirred in at the end really balances out the sweet/tangy flavor in this dish. It’s a lovely recipe and I hope you all enjoy this as much as we do. If you’re a meat eater I think a few fried bacon crumbles would taste great garnished on top of the soup along with the caramelized apples. Gotta love that sweet and savory garnish!
Cheers to the fall harvest!
Parsnip & Apple Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 4-6
Soup- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large leeks, finely chopped, white and pale green parts only
- 5 medium sized parsnips (about 1 1/2 pounds) cut into 1/2 inch pieces (no need to peel unless the parsnips look haggard)
- 2 medium sized Gala apples (or another mildly sweet apple), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 4 cups of water
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 apple, peeled and cut into 1/2 pieces
Preparation
- Melt the butter in a large heavy bottom pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the leeks, parsnips, apples and coriander. Cook, stirring occasionally until the veggies are tender. About 8 minutes. Add the water and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and then puree the soup in a high speed blender until completely smooth and creamy (you may have to do this in batches). Alternately, you can use an immersion blender but your soup wont be nearly as smooth or creamy. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the heavy cream. Keep on low heat for an additional 10 minutes to let the flavors meld together.
- While the soup simmers prepare the caramelized apples. Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the apple pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the apples and minced parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Taste test as you go
So many great things about this recipe. I have always loved parsnip but adding apple to it just takes it from good to genius !
Will try this one soon,
Lucie.
Andrea, I am a huge fan of Hutchins Farm. I bought a 25 pound bag of parships recently and made this soup today. It is exceptional, already a favorite. I am so grateful to the Bemis family for the love, dedication, and hard work that goes in to providing such beautiful and nutritious food to communities on both sides of the US. Thank you and congratulations on your new cook book!