Tomato and Parsnip Soup

It has been colder than usual this week, so I've been craving soup.  This recipe is inspired by the one in The New England Soup Factory Cookbook, and if you like parsnips you'll most likely enjoy this soup.  I love parsnips, but K apparently does not.  Now I have something like four cups of it to myself as of day three.  This stuff is deceptively filling, so I should probably can some of it and expand my collection.  Yes--should.

Mellow, delicious, warm-you-up-fast goodness.

About Parsnips:

The best time to eat this carrot relative is during winter, as cold temperatures stimulate the plant to produce more sugars to ward off freezing.  This vegetable is very sweet and hardy, so it is one of my favorite winter vegetables.  Some people dislike the radishy/turnipy flavor.  To be honest, I wasn't a fan the first time I had them, but things have changed.

Most of the good stuff is either in or right below the peel, so to get the maximum nutrition from this veg don't peel it.  Speaking of peeling, parsnips brown when cut.  To prevent this, soak freshly cut pieces in cold water, as you would potatoes(this will prevent oxidation).

This recipe makes quite a bit of soup, so I recommend making half of it if you're not sure about parsnips.

 Ingredients:

2 tbs cooking oil

4 cloves garlic

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 ribs of celery, sliced

12 parsnips, sliced

6 cups peeled tomatoes (I used canned)

2 cups tomato or V8 juice

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup cream

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Equipment:

blender

knife and cutting board

large, heavy-bottomed pot with lid

1. Chop the veggies into pieces--the smaller they are, the faster they'll cook.  This soup will be blended, so don't worry too much about the cutting.
2. Heat oil in the pot, then saute the fresh veggies for 10 minutes.
3. Add everything else except for the cream, dill, and s/p, then simmer, covered, for 35 minutes.
4. Puree the soup.  If you have one, use a hand blender.  If you don't, then work very carefully in steaming hot batches.
5. Stir in the cream, dill, and s/p.  I added a bit of 100,000 SHU cayenne (which, according to the scale, shouldn't exist), because hotter is better.
6. Garnish nicely.  I used fresh tomatoes and some cilantro, but would have used fresh dill if there'd been extra.