Sexy Sailors! ok...its really about parsnips...

Its it sad that I couldn't come up with a delicious sounding post title....I know everyone turns their nose up at parsnips!  I used to be one of you!!!  Several years ago I read an article in Canadian Gardening magazine that stated if you left your parsnips in the ground until a few frosts had hit them...they turned into a COMPLETELY different vegetable...

Thats where they had me....I HAD to find out how different they were...and it was such a dramatic flavour...I became a born-again parsnip lover. 

This year we staggered our crop of parsnips and it allowed me more time for peeling and chopping these massive roots vegetables.  After I peel and chop...they get placed in freezer bags (not heaping full, just half full then pressed flat).  I ended up with 4 large freezer bags of them...and I ate plenty while we were digging them up!  They are great prepared like a roasted potato, or added to mashed potato (which I use on top of sheppard's pie)...that is until I saw this month's recipe in my Foodland Ontario 2011 recipe calendar.

PARSNIP, APPLE & BRIE SOUP....

I HAD to try it....I like each of the individual ingredients enough to want to make it.



Straight out of the calendar

  I was hoping you could read the recipe in the above picture...but basically its 4 cups parsnips, peeled and chopped, 4 cups veg or chicken broth, 1 onion, 1 tsp of butter, 2 apples, peeled and chopped...125g of brie and salt and pepper to taste.  Melt butter and fry onion until just cooked, add parsnips, apples and broth, simmer until soft.  Use blender or handblender to smooth.  Cube the brie and add while warm. 


my version


I will DEFINITELY make this again!  A few alterations though...I would use 3-4 apples...instead of just two.  I would also use the whole 200g wheel of brie.  I love brie.

This soup was wonderfully hearty and tasty.  Technically all I had to buy was the brie...as we buy broth in bulk, had parsnips and apples in the freezer, and saved a dozen onions from the garden in a slightly make shift root cellar...which is working out so far...but its more accidental than planned out.

I encourage you to try this soup out...it may just bring you back over to the parsnip side!!!