Cream of Parsnip Soup...

I have a confession to make, I have never actually made or eaten a parsnip soup until tonight. I have eaten parsnips in soups, and stews and in other dishes but I had never before had an honest parsnip soup. Why? I couldn’t say. I actually like parsnips quite a bit, they have a great sweet and subtly spicy flavor that I enjoy, and yet I rarely buy them when I go out shopping. They almost never feature on my dinner table. In fact if it weren’t for my recent zeal for Irish cooking I might never have tried parsnip soup at all.

Parsnips you see are a pretty common root vegetable in Ireland and they tend to feature quite prominently in soups, stews and casseroles. Like other root vegetables they make for great hearty fare and are typically quite cheap which makes them an easy, affordable food source for many people. Soups, stews, and broths also hold a special place in traditional Irish cooking as they provide warmth during the long rainy days, and much needed sustenance. Interestingly enough Irish soups were originally made with oatmeal and resembled gruel more then they did the sorts of soups we’re familiar with. Overtime however the traditional Irish soups turned into hearty, heavy, and creamy meals in a bowl and I can tell you from personal experience that if you walk into any pub in Ireland it would be a miracle if you didn’t see soups listed on the menu no matter what time of the year. My husband and I ate a lot of soup when we were in Ireland, even though we were there during the summer we just couldn’t resist those rich creamy soups, because seriously when it comes to creamy root vegetable soups the Irish know what they’re doing.

Though this recipe is super basic, and doesn’t use a lot of ingredients it’s full of flavor. So much flavor in fact that I was quite surprised. The spices are subtle, and the parsnips are slightly sweet, and just a tad peppery. The parsley and onion delivers some texture and another depth of flavor. Overall this soup really amazed me, and I’m so glad I finally tried parsnip soup! One of the other great things about this soup is how fast it cooks. It’s super quick and easy and you don’t really need to pay all that much attention to it. So whip up a batch and enjoy!

Cream of Parsnip Soup

2lb Parsnips peeled and chopped
2 Small Yellow Onions Chopped
8 Cloves Garlic
1/4C Earth Balance
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
3 ½ C water + 1 Vegan Chicken Bouillon Cube
1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk
Celtic Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Fresh Minced Parsley to taste
Sliced Green Onions to taste

- Melt the butter in a medium sized pot over medium-high heat.

- Add the onions, parsnips and whole garlic cloves and saute for 5-8 minutes until the vegetables become tender.

- Add the water and bouillon cube and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for roughly 15-20 minutes until the parsnips are fork tender.

- Transfer the soup to a highspeed blender and blend on high until smooth. Return the soup to the pot along with the almond milk and stir to combine. Add the salt, pepper, minced parsley and green onions and simmer for 2 minutes or until soup is heated through.

- Serve garnished with additional parsley and green onions alongside a nice garden salad.