i did more than just watch the birds over the holiday break.
Roasted Parsnip Soup
- 2 pound(s) (small) parsnips, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
- 2/3 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground pepper
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 1 stalk(s) celery, cut into small pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 quart(s) vegetable broth
Toss the parsnips in olive oil and salt, and Roast in the oven at 350 degrees F. Shake the pan or occasionally to turn them, until tender and easily pierced with a fork — about 60 minutes.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook until translucent and softened — about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsnips, bay leaf, and broth, and increase the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, partially cover the pot and simmer until the parsnips fall apart easily — about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
Puree the mixture in a blender, in 2-cup batches, until smooth. Return the soup to the pot over low heat and stir occasionally until warmed through. You can use milk or water to thin it out. Soup may be cooled and stored refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
Garlic Mashed Parsnip Potatoes
Boil peeled and chopped parsnips and potatoes (3 parsnips for every two potatoes) with 3 cloves of garlic until tender. Drain. Mash with 2 tbsps of butter and 1/4 tsp of salt.
Pumpkin Butter
3 ½ cups fresh pumpkin purée*
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepot and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Reduce the heat to low and, stirring often, simmer until thickened and glossy, about 10 minutes if using canned pumpkin and 20 minutes if using fresh. Cool to room temperature. Store in airtight containers (see note) in the refrigerator.
*Now, when I made the puree, I drained it as per the instructions at local kitchen. So when I put everything together, it didn't look like anything that would 'boil'. Several times I added some of the pumpkin juice that I had drained off and if you don't have that handy, I would go for apple juice or cider. In the end I cooked it until it was nice and glossy and I liked the flavor (I added pinches of nutmeg, cloves and ginger).
