Romanesco & Parsnip Soup

This soup was something I threw together quickly one Saturday evening after an exceptionally cold and blustery farmer’s market in Wakefield this last Fall. I had hauled home a head of romanesco from Farmer Dave’s. I almost didn’t have the heart to cut the chartreuse charmer with its fairylike turrets.

Since I am in love with roasted cauliflower, I decided to do the same with the romanesco along with a parsnip hiding in the bottom of my crisper that evening. The roasting heightened the flavors giving this soup a depth that deserves repeating all through winter. It is a recipe about simple flavors and fresh ingredients that you can easily experiment with and make it your own.

Serves 4-6

1 medium romanesco
1 medium parsnip
3½ cups fresh stock or water
½ cup cream
1½ tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup diced sweet onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
½ tbsp. white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
a good quality EVOO for drizzling

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Wash, trim and cut the romanesco into 2 inch pieces and the parsnip into round slices; lay them out separately on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper, and bake for 20-25 minutes; flip the veggies once after 12 minutes for even caramelization
3. Heat an 8-quart pot with ½ tbsp. olive oil and stir fry the onions and garlic until they’re translucent and aromatic, approx. 2-3 minutes
4. Add the roasted veggies and stir with the onions; add 2 cups of the stock and using a hand blender, completely blend the veggies, add the remaining stock and cream
5. Bring the soup to a simmer over low heat; taste and adjust for salt and pepper
6. Just before serving add the vinegar and stir
7. Serve warm or cold with a drizzle of EVOO, fresh parsley and some shaved Parmesan if you’d like