Leek & Parsnip Soup

For some crazy reason I love buying leeks and parsnips. Maybe it makes me feel cultured or European, I can’t explain it, however I don’t have a very big cooking repertoire with either one. So todays goal was to find a way to use both in a recipe and somehow I managed to make this soup that might have to go on my list of favorite recipes! It makes a great appetizer or mid-meal snack. You can even make a meal out of it by adding a small salad. So make up a big batch, keep it in the fridge for up to a week and have a cup or two anytime you need a quick pick-me-up!

Note: This recipe uses miso paste which is made by fermenting a mixture of soybeans, barley and brown rice. It is a probiotic food that contains microorganisms that are great for your digestive system. If you have never used miso paste before then mellow white miso is a great one to start with. It has the most mild flavor and lowest salt content because it is the least fermented. The delicate flavor works great in light recipes like this, however there are few things you need to be careful about when cooking with miso paste. It should always be added at the end of a recipe once the food is at serving temperature and never heated over high heat because this could kill the beneficial microorganisms. Since it is is made with soybeans you should make sure to buy either organic or non-gmo paste in the refrigerated section, usually wherever the tofu is located.

Makes: 6 cups

Preparation time: 10m
Cooking time: 10m
Total time: 25m

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 5 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
  • 2 leeks (chopped and washed - see link at bottom for detailed instructions)
  • 3 cups roughly chopped parsnips (parsnips vary greatly in size, this is about 5 medium-sized ones)
  • 1 cup dry white wine (choose a wine you like to drink)
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons non-GMO miso paste (make sure to buy gluten-free miso if making this recipe gluten-free)
  • salt and white pepper (to taste)

Equipment: 2-quart saucepan (or larger), blender

Instructions:

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Sauté the minced garlic and chopped leeks in the pan until they start to brown (about 2-3 minutes).
  3. Set a few leeks slices aside for garnish, then using a slotted spoon scoop the rest of the leeks and garlic into a blender.
  4. Add a little more oil to the pan if you need to then sauté parsnips until softened (8-10 minutes) stirring occasionally.
  5. Once the you can easily pierce a parsnip with a fork they are ready, scoop them out of the pan and add them to the blender.
  6. Pour the wine into pan and bring it to a boil. Scrape any stuck bits off the bottom of the pan and continue to boil for a few minutes. You are basically doing this to burn off the alcohol. There’s some argument over how long this actually takes, basically the longer you boil it, but more alcohol is burnt off but you can never burn off all of it. Just keep in mind the longer you boil it the more it will reduce so you will need to add vegetable stock accordingly.
  7. Add the vegetable stock to the wine and bring to a boil then pour these into a blender along with the oregano and nutmeg. Purée on high until smooth. Test out the thickness and add more vegetable stock if desired to thin it out.
  8. Once you are happy with the thickness add the mellow white miso and blend again. Taste, then either add more miso or salt and pepper if desired.
  9. Serve warm or refrigerate for up to a week.

INLINE-LINK-START title="How To: Chop and Wash Leeks" href="../../howtos/how-to-chop-and-wash-leeks" target="_blank">How To: Chop and Wash Leeks INLINE-LINK-END