Paisley Farm CSA blog

Parsnip Soup

It’s creamy and leek filled. The recipe I looked at called for an apple, but I would much rather eat my apples so gosh darn I used all parsnips and it worked fine; especially with the sweetness of the parsnips from the share. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add 2 cups of prepared leeks (meaning you wash them well after cutting off the roots and dark green ends. Halve these lengthwise and thinly slice into half moon shapes.) Add the leeks and cook a 5 minutes.

Add 1 pound of parsnips (trimmed and cut into chunks)… you can add 2 apples peeled, cored and chopped if you like, but I just up-ed the parsnips and the butter (shh.)

SO add the parsnips, apple if using, and 1 medium potato peeled (1/2 pound) and cut into 1 inch cubes, and 1 can of chicken broth. (or homemade, 1-2 cups). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender about 25 minutes. 

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender (vented but covered) until all smooth and creamy. Return to pot and stir in 1/2 cup cream. Season to taste to salt and fresh cracked pepper.) 

*Save the leek bits for making stock.

In other news from upstate… 

It’s a beautiful saturday, mild temperatures and almost all the snow has melted. Deer still bounce around the lands and old fallen trees are being given new life as fire wood. The potatoes and butternut squash are not holding out as well for me, so I would say eat them now if you have not already. Hope you are all still finding great things to do with the black turtle beans…and enjoying the cheese fully! 

Vegetable Super-Stock
This recipe is for a slow cooker, and is from “From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker,” by Robin Robertson. I’m sure it can be easily adapted for stove-top, probably by adding a little more water and then following whatever instructions are given for hours on the burner. Anyway, this is really great, and definitely uses a lot of the stuff you may still have hanging around. As with any stock, small modifications are probably no problem, so feel free to use a red onion rather than a yellow one, and etc.

1 lrg yellow onion, thickly sliced
2 lrg carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 lrg all-purpose potato, left unpeeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 lrg parsnip, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 celery rib, cut into one inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, left unpeeled and crushed
1 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper
half cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
4 dried shitake or porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 c. hot water until softened, drained. Strain liquid of grit, and reserve
2 bay leaves
half teaspoon black peppercorns
1 T. tamari or other soy sauce
7 cups water

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Place the onion, carrots, potato, parsnip, celery, and garlic in a lightly oiled baking pan. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables unitl slightly browned, turning once, about 30 mins total.
2. Transfer the roasted vegetables into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Add the parsley, the mushrooms and their soaking water, bay leaves, peppercorns, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and the water. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, until the vegetables are soft and the stock is a rich golden color.
3. Let the stock cool slightly, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pot, pressing against the solids with the back of a spoon to release the liquid. Use at once or let cool completely, then portion and store in the refrigerator in tightly covered containers. Properly stored, the stock will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Submitted by Ben Masur. Thanks Ben!