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. This is just as luscious and delicious with roasted cauliflower and parsnips too.
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
- Preheat the oven to 400F
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Bring the soup to a simmer over low heat; taste and adjust for salt and pepper
- Just before serving add the vinegar and stir
- Serve warm or cold with a drizzle of EVOO, fresh parsley and some shaved Parmesan if you’d like
