Parsnip, Carrot and Asian Pear Soup with Garlic Rosemary Croutons

Spring is hardly the season for soup, but here in Calgary, we're still squarely in soup weather.

I actually made this soup back in January, when we were going through those crazy freeze-thaw cycles - -20˚C or 30˚C one day, +15˚C the next. However, my inspiration for this soup didn't come from the weather, but from the fact that I had a couple parsnips in the crisper and a couple Asian pears sitting in the fruit basket. So I thought, "Wouldn't it be neat to put the two together in a soup?" It turns out that Julie already beat me to it.

Julie's recipe called for 2 lb of parsnips, but I only had two parsnips, so I added some carrot and used two pears instead of one. I think any combination of parsnip, carrot and pear should work as long as it worked out to just a little over 2 lb, except only carrot and pear - parsnip just has that bit of spiciness and woodiness that pairs better with pear. Julie also recommends that you pour a can of evaporated milk in at the end - it makes the soup creamier and adds protein, but also mutes the flavour a bit. I would probably omit it next time.

    
I blended it all up with the immersion blender I got my mom for Christmas 2009 that still appeared to be unopened (I figured it's been over a year...) Holy, it is a monster! Much more powerful than I thought it would be.


Monster
I had planned on making this on a particular night and purposely bought a demi-baguette (PC Blue Menu, my favourite... seriously.) and some cheese to enjoy it with. Unfortunately, other commitments pulled me elsewhere so I was stuck with day-old bread. I was quickly reminded of another PC product - the Rosemary & Garlic Calabrese croutons that I'd tried during our ski trip to Big White (with perennial brunchmate Tiffany and family) that I decided to try to create my own.


This recipe came from a cookbook Mad Hungry, with a little rosemary sprinkled in...


Taste-wise they turned out pretty good but texture-wise they never had that nice, light crunch, even after they'd cooled. It was fine in soup but I need to tweak it a little (more oil? more heat? not-so-grainy bread?) if I want to use it in salad.

Parsnip, Carrot and Pear Soup
Adapted from Dinner with Julie
Makes about 12 cups

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
  
• 1 onion
  
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
  
• 2 Asian pears, chopped
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) curry powder
  
• 6 cups (1.5 L) total low-sodium chicken broth and/or water
  
• 1½ lb (680 g) total parsnips and/or carrots, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 small potato, chopped
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) pepper
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) nutmeg
  
• 1 can (370 mL/12.5 oz) evaporated milk (optional)

1. Heat oil in a soup pot set over medium-high heat. Saute onion and celery for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add pear and curry and cook for a few more minutes.
   
2. Add broth/water, parsnips/carrots, potato, bay leaf, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and cook until the parsnips are very tender. Puree with a hand-held immersion blender (or transfer in batches to a blender or food processor) until smooth. Stir in evaporated milk, if desired.

Nutrition Info (per ~2 cups, assumes using chicken broth and equal amounts parsnips and carrots): 237 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated), 19 mg cholesterol, 34 g carbohydrate (7 g fibre, 10 g sugar), 10 g protein, 679 mg sodium. An excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin K, folate (vitamin B₄), potassium and manganese. A good source of vitamin C, vitamin E, riboflavin (vitamin B₂), pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅), calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.

 

Garlic Rosemary Croutons

Adapted from Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn

Makes about 2 cups

• ½ lb (200 g) day-old bread
  
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dried rosemary, crumbled
  
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
  
• 1 dash pepper

1. Cut bread into ¾" (2 cm) cubes. Heat a large skillet over high heat and add olive oil, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and cook until it sizzles, about 50 seconds. Add the bread and rosemary and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Discard garlic. Sprinkle croutons with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Info (per ~¼ cup): 118 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 14 g carbohydrate (1 g fibre, 1 g sugar), 3 g protein, 201 mg sodium. A good source of folate (vitamin B₄).