The Best Creamy Parsnip and Celeriac Soup
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This is the most creamy and comforting soup you will ever eat. The parsnips give the soup not only a smooth texture but also create a sweet hugging flavour. The celeriac counterbalances the sweetness of the parsnip with a punchy fresh flavour and the walnut oil gives the soup an earthy richness. Don’t tell me that this doesn’t sound like something you would want to eat!
Parsnips and celeriac are underrated and forgotten vegetables which is a shame because they are such incredible flavour builders. Besides the flavour parsnip has the perfect texture to create a creamy soup. The amount of starch in parsnips make sure the walnut oil and the other ingredients blend nicely and create a filling soup.
What you need to create this incredible wholesome soup:
Ingredients for the parsnip and celeriac soup:
- parsnip
- celeriac
- shallots or onion
- garlic
- ground or freshly ground nutmeg
- parmesan rind
- walnut oil
- water
- salt and pepper
Toppings:
- bay leaf oil
- parmesan shavings
You might think toppings on a soup are unnecessary but I promise you they are not. The toppings can lift the flavour of the soup to another level. In the case of this parsnip and celeriac soup, the bay leaf oil gives the soup the punch it needs and makes the flavours lighter in a way. The sweetness of the parsnip can create a faint flavour if it isn’t properly balanced with salt and pepper, the bay leaf also contributes to avoiding a stale flavour palette.
How to make parsnip and celeriac soup
I always think that making a blended soup is one of the easiest and quickest dishes because you don’t have to cut the ingredients as fine as when you would leave them whole, which save a lot of time, believe me.
To create a good flavour carrying base start with the walnut oil and heat your stove on medium heat. The walnut oil doesn’t have a high smoke point which means you should take your time when heating it and stay away from high heats. Once your walnut oil has heated add the shallots cut side down for 5 minutes or until the different layers start to separate and the edges are golden. Then add the minced garlic and parmesan rind.
Peel and cut the parsnips and celeriac but please be careful when cutting the celeriac root because it can be quite the venture when trying to cut that thing down! But like I said don’t put to much time into chopping your vegetable up into beautiful small cubes. Once the parsnip and celeriac are cubed add them to the pan. Top the ingredients with water until they are just under, lower the heat and let it boil.
Check if the vegetables are cooked by pinching them with a knife or fork. If they slide off easily it means they are ready to be blended. Use a stick blender to create a smooth soup. Take the soup off the heat and let it cool just a bit, this makes it easier to create the perfect flavour balance when tasting. Add the salt, pepper and ground nutmeg to taste. I believe this soup needs a lot of salt and nutmeg. Don’t be scared to use spices, just add them a bit at a time and you will learn over time what the right amounts are for each dish and spice.
How to serve parsnip and celeriac soup
Serve the parsnip and celeriac soup with bay leaf oil and parmesan shavings. The soup tastes best when it’s not too hot, so take it off the stove before you serve it. If you don’t have extra parmesan you can use some fried kale or roasted nuts. A great replacement for the bay leaf oil is parsley oil but they are both made in just minutes! All you need is a blender, your herb and some neutral oil like grapeseed or sunflower.
Dietary options
If you don’t want to use the parmesan rind because of the small amount of lactose it might contain you can easily leave it out or even replace it with 1/2 a tsp of miso paste. Miso paste is made from fermented beans and has an incredible umami flavour as does the parmesan.
If you don’t have walnut oil on your hands you can replace it with hazelnut oil or by roasting a handful of walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts in a dry pan and adding them to the soup when blending. The roasted nuts serve as a great topping as well!
How to store soup
Storing soup is incredibly easy and perfect for a night you don’t feel like cooking, as we all sometimes do! The best way to store soup is by freezing it in a ziplock bag. Add one or two portions (depending on the size of the bag) of soup in a ziplock bag and take all the air out before you zip-up the bag and create a flat package. Lay the bag down horizontally in your freezer so that it freezes as thin as possible. By using this storage method you can reheat the soup in just 5 minutes! So please try and enjoy your incredibly fast weeknight meal.
Enjoy the soup and be sure to let me know on Instagram how you liked it, I love seeing your creations!
Hugs
Manou
The Best Creamy Parsnip and Celeriac Soup
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 3 parsnips
- +/- 300 gr | one half of celeriac
- 2 medium shallots
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp. of ground nutmeg
- 1 parmesan rind
- 3 tbsp. walnut oil
- 1L of water
- Salt and pepper
Topping
- Bay leaf oil
- Parmesan shavings
Instructions
- Peel the parsnip and celeriac and cut them up into 1-2 cm cubes
- Peel the shallots and cut them in half, do the same for the garlic.
- Heat the walnut oil in a heavy saucepan. Once the oil is hot add the shallots and garlic cut side down and fry them until they start to brown.
- When the shallot and garlic are browned add the celeriac, parsnip, parmesan rind and water.
- Cook the vegetables for 15-20 minutes or until the parsnip and celeriac are cooked.
- Use a stick blender or blender to create a smooth soup. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. This soup needs quite a bit of salt to balance the sweetness from the parsnip. But flavour as you like!
- Serve the soup with some parmesan shavings and bay leaf oil. You can easily make your own oil or replace it with a store-bought oil or parsley oil.
Tips
- When picking your parmesan make sure the rind doesn't contain any plastic layers!
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