Parsnip soup with kale and roasted garlic

Have you ever had it happen to you that you are roaming in a grocery store picking up your onions, chilis and potatoes and all-of-a-sudden a packet of an unknown vegetable or a spice jumps into your cart and won't take no for an answer :D Well, that happens to me a lot! My husband calls it 'impulse-buy' but tchk-tchk I know better than that.. see, its a divine intervention! Okay, okay, I know I am an addict for buying new (to me) fruits and vegetables that seem to be in season without having any idea of what I am going to do with it. Then they sit in the fridge patiently waiting to be used up. A week goes by, no super-great cooking idea strikes me, and at the end of the week, I end up using them in my sure-fire way: by soupifying them!

Parsnips were my last week's impulse buy. They are in season now. I have tasted parsnips long back but this time they looked so fresh and crunchy that I had to have it! To be honest a parsnip soup was not on my mind when I bought them but it turned out to be great! I added kale purely for some color zing as parsnips are relatively pale in color but roasted garlic and rosemary are the main flavorings. This is a light soup and has more delicate flavors than my usual hearty soups. I enjoyed it with a bowl of leftover spaghetti and it turned out to be a great combination!



(Follow the read more link below for the rest of the recipe...)
Parsnips is a root vegetable of the carrot family. It looks more like mooli but has a starchy texture like potatoes and the flavor to me was a delicate mix of carrots and potatoes. It is a safe substitute for potatoes in most all dishes. It needs frost to grow and hence it can loosely be called a winter vegetable though parsnips are harvested in fall also. Okay, you know I am not an expert gardener (or any gardener for that matter.. :D) this info comes from here and here.

So, back to the Parsnip soup with kale & roasted garlic



Ingredients:
5 small parsnips
3 large kale leaves
1 small onion
3 celery sticks
1C vegetable broth + 4C water (can use all broth or all water)
4 cloves of garlic
1/4tsp dried rosemary (or fresh -- even better!)
1/4tsp red chili powder
1/4tsp paprika
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper
Recipe:
  1. Preheat oven at 350F
  2. First of all place garlic cloves on an aluminum foil (unpeeled). Add a bit of olive oil and roast unpeeled garlic cloves for 30-40mins. (Do not use upper third of the oven shelves, they tend to burn easily) Remove from oven and set aside.
  3. Then prepare the parsnips: peel the parsnips and trim off both the ends. Chop them into small pieces.
  4. Meanwhile heat 1Tbsp olive oil in a large soup pot on low-medium heat.
  5. Add chopped onions and cook for a few minutes until softened.
  6. Then add chopped celery and cook for a few more minutes.
  7. Add parsnips & kale to the soup pot. 
  8. Add 1C vegetable broth and 4C water. Season with salt. Cook covered for 30-40minutes until the parsnips are soft and mushy. Add more water if the soup seems too thick. 
  9. Take the soup pot off the heat. Add rosemary, paprika, chili powder. Peel the roasted garlic cloves. Discard the peel and add the roasted cloves to the soup pot. 
  10. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend the soup to the desired consistency. 
  11. Add lime juice. Taste!! Adjust the seasonings to taste. Server hot!

A steaming hot bowl of this parsnip soup goes straight to Monthly mingle - winter vegetables and fruits hosted by Cook like a bong and brainchild of Whats for lunch, honey?

Till next time leaving you with this picture of parsnips that I took.. don't you think this is more like a bad boy picture? I almost wanted to caption it 'Parsnips with an attitude'! See you..



Comments

indosungod said…
PJ, I love the fact that you soupified the parsnip. I bought parsnip yes like you, on an impulse at a farmer's market. I liked it till I disliked it :) I roasted the parsnip. You still like them - yes?
Sayantani said…
thats something I also do PJ. today I bought some passion fruit for the first time an now searching net to use them.
the soup looks divine and yes you are a soup specialist. love the click.
SE said…
this looks so delicious..a bowl full of warmth, health and green!! Me too sometimes fall in the trap of impluse buying..atleast all those veggies/fruits that i haven;t tried before.
Cham said…
I guess U love to venture new taste! I am probably like you, grab something new when it appears in aisle!
Soup with parsnip and kale look gorgeous and tasty!
Like the bad boy click :)
Desisoccermom said…
Parsnips with attitude would have been a fun title. Its still not too late to change it. :)
PJ said…
indo, yes I still like them! actually roasted is the way I was thinking when I bought them... soupifying them was sort of an afterthought when nothing much seemed to occur to my mind :D

Sayantani, thanks :) not sure if I am a specialist but I sure do like to make a LOT of soups! specially in winter, when I do go a bit crazy over soups :D. btw, there is a really nice passion fruit jam recipe I saw on another blog, if you still looking for a passion-fruit recipe!

SE, thanks! impulse-buying groceries is indeed a weakness of mine, but I tell my husband that its only through that he gets to enjoy these new produce varieties.. well, thats my take atleast :D

Cham, thanks :) it is very interesting to cook something new.. loved the Portuguese recipe on your blog too!

Jaya, heh heh, yeah, I seriously considered this title for sometime.. the tossup was between 'parsnips with an attitude', 'the parsnip in a gang' and 'parsnip soup'. Went with a more traditional one, next time will use this for sure!
Priya Suresh said…
Such a beautiful soup, never combined parsnip and kale, have to try out..
Sushma Mallya said…
I havent done soup using these ingredients, very unique one and very lovely soup as well
PJ said…
Priya, thanks! Parsnips and kale turned out to be a great combination.. I hope you try it soon :)

Sushma, thanks so much for the kind words :)
Namitha said…
this soup sounds interesting and innovative..tempting click, PJ
kitchen queen said…
You have a nice blog.you can visit my blog and give ur comments.
PJ said…
thanks Gulmohar! I am so glad you liked the click and the soup!

Kitchen queen, welcome to my blog! I am glad you stopped by and I am off to visit yours now :)
Dolly Sharma said…
Wow PJ, ur awesome and inviting Clicks will surely make me try ur delicious Parsnip and roasted garlic soup along with Kale. Also I loved the fact that you have roasted the garlic, that must really add a gd punch to ur soup..It looks so healthy and love the Color.

Read ur comment on my blog..so good to know we both are impulsive buyers and we both love soupifying new found vegetables.lol.
Unknown said…
Parsnip & Kale soup looks very intersting. Very new and innovative combo.
s said…
I know excatly what u are talking about...though i never get to'soupifying ' them..i usually do something a lot more fattening!
PJ said…
Dolly, thanks! i love roasted garlic in pretty much everything.. best of all the aromas in the kitchen when garlic is roasting is just sooo good! Glad you liked it!

A2Z vegetarian cooking, thanks! It was a very warming and light soup.. I am so glad you liked it :)

s, you are the baking queen! whatever you do with it I am sure tastes very very delicious! thanks for stopping by :)
amita said…
I love the photo! Have you tried roasted parsnips? I make them often and my family loved it.
Deepthi Shankar said…
roasted garlic sounds excellent. loved the color of the soup
Spice said…
Nice click....nice combination.... love parsnips.....and don't want to say anything about "impulse-buy"....right now a bunch of green leafy veggie is sitting in the fridge & i even don't know it's name....thanks to trip to chineese market....should post it after I decide it's fate....
PJ said…
amita, no, but you know what, roasted parsnips was what on my mind when I bought these... guess I need to buy them again this week :)

Deesha, thanks! I am so glad you liked the soup and the click.

Spice, thanks! soupify it! whatever it is I am sure will test great in a soup :D looking forward to the recipe on your blog.
Sarah Naveen said…
thats a new great combo..Nice presentation..healthy and yummy..
Preety said…
thats a great recipe for soup
Deepa G Joshi said…
wow..what tempting clicks..and a healthy soup...too good.
PJ said…
Thanks Sarah! I am so glad you liked it :)
Preety, thanks and welcome to my blog!
Deepa, thanks :) I am so very glad you enjoyed the soup!
Malar Gandhi said…
OH yeah, this happens to me a lot, invariably buy all sorts of veggies and make them rot' many a times...

Sometimes, I like and dislike my creation.

Loved you novel idea of using parsnips in soup, bowl of healthy juice looks refreshing:)
Rahin said…
roasted garlic makes everything flavorful. Soup looks delicious

enjoyed reading your interview with easy crafts
PJ said…
Malar, we have that in common then! My fridge also all the time has some new veggies sitting and patiently waiting to be used up! But there are always soups which take it all in! I am so happy you liked the recipe :)

Rahin, thanks! I am so glad you liked the soup :) It was a very comforting soup for the wintry nights..

Ben, welcome to my blog! I so agree with you, I have been a roasted garlic fan for a long time now.. it goes so well in pastas, soups and like you said, pretty much everything. Thanks for stopping by.
Dolly Sharma said…
Dear PJ, Please collect the Beautiful Blogger Award from my blog.You deserve it.You are a great blogpal.
Miri said…
I haven't seen parsnips here - are they the same as turnips?
Sunitha said…
That looks great... Its terrific that you go about experimenting like that on a whim.. I need to try that more often myself..
PJ said…
Dolly, thanks! You totally deserved that one :)

Miri, parsnips and turnips are in the same root vegetable family. The irony is that parsnips look more like long mooli but tasted like potatoes-carrots cross to me; while turnips look more like small potatoes with reddish hue on them and taste like radishes! Amazing mysteries of nature!

Nostalgia, thanks! Most of the time trials don't provide a bloggable dish, but its fun :)
Yasmeen said…
With so much variety its easy to ignore such vegetables.But you've tempted me buy parsnip,I read about it as a healthier substitute for potatoes,never tried them though.
Unknown said…
Wow...the click is so good. I am not a parsnip water but if I get hold of some, I would definitely try this one...
PJ said…
Yasmeen, thanks! Parsnips are great, hope you get to try them sometime in this season! They are a healthy alternative to potatoes and taste it a little more carrotish than potatoes (suits for me :D)

Supriya, welcome to my blog! thanks! I am so glad you liked the recipe and the photo. I hope you do get to try the parsnips soon :)
Joanne said…
The phrase "impulse buy" is not in my vocabulary. I like to call it "fate" instead. My surefire way of cooking unused veggies is to roast them. This soup looks like an excellent use as well!
PJ said…
Thanks Joann! I like the concept of calling it 'fate' -- good one :)