Carrot and Parsnip Soup with Sweet Hungarian Paprika

“I said Brrrr, it’s cold in here!”…

…is all I can think about as soon as I step outside of my house. It is very cold here in Philly, and as always when winter comes around, I get sick and I get pale. Now when it’s cold or if I’m sick, my favorite thing to eat is homemade soup, and when I’m pale I stock up on carrots to soak up all that beta-carotene and (hopefully) get a nice halo. So without further due, please welcome: carrot soup! aka. my favorite kind of “cure”!

As a kid, I was never a picky eater with regards to soup. You know all these things that parents tell their kids to get them to finish their bowls, like how it’ll make them tall and strong and even give them super powers? Well my parents never needed that one. For soup that is, because they definitely used it for brussel sprouts and the like… Anyways. The only thing I was (and still am to some extent) picky about is that my soup must be completely smooth. No chunks allowed! I don’t know why but I just don’t like it at all. Unless it’s French lentil soup, obviously.

Back to the recipe, it’s pretty wonderful to think about how you can marry almost any kind of ingredients together in soup. I tend to get much more creative with vegetables than with meat and blending them all together is the easiest way to let my imagination run loose when coming up with associations. I also try to use new ingredients and “hide” them in the mix. This time around, I picked carrots, and added in a hint of parsnip for a change. It was my first time working with parsnip and it added a very subtle flavor to the soup. I also wanted to highlight the delicate taste of sweet Hungarian paprika, which perfectly resonated with the sweetness of the carrots. So with that I’ll leave it up to you to try this magic cure and get your tan on! Bon appétit!

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Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: serves 4

• 5-6 medium carrots
• 1 parsnip
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 tsp paprika
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• roasted sunflower seeds (topping)
• fresh parsley (topping)
• spicy oil (topping)

Directions:

1. Peel and dice all the carrots, the parsnip, and the onion.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large pot, and add all the vegetables. Season with salt and paprika and let the veggies sweat for a few minutes, until the onions become translucent. You don’t want them to brown but rather just to soften them slightly.
3. Next, add the 2 cups of broth and give it a stir. Make sure all the veggies are covered by the broth. If that’s not the case, add some water until it is. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes (or until the veggies are cooked through).
4. When the broth has cooked down, add 1 1/2 cups of water. Using an immersion blender, mix it all together until very smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Serve this soup with a slice of toasted sourdough, and garnish with roasted sunflower seeds, fresh parsley, spicy oil, and fresh pepper. Enjoy!

TIP: Some other of my favorite toppings include homemade croutons, fresh goat cheese, caramelized shallots, or fresh diced apples.

Temps total: 30 minutes

Ingrédients: pour 4 en entrée, 3 en plat principal

• 5-6 carottes moyennes
• 1 panais
• 1/2 oignon
• 2 tasses de bouillon de légumes
• 1 1/2 tasses d’eau bouillante
• 1 c.c de paprika
• huile d’olive
• sel de mer et poivre noir fraichement moulu
• graines de tournesol grillées (garniture)
• persil frais (garniture)
• huile pimentée (garniture)

Etapes:

1. Pelez et coupez les carottes, le panais et l’oignon en petit morceaux.
2. Faites chauffer de l’huile d’olive dans une grande casserole, et ajoutez les légumes. Assaisonnez avec du sel et du paprika et laissez les légumes suer pendant quelques minutes, jusqu’à ce que les oignons deviennent translucides. Evitez de les faire colorer, le but est juste de les ramollir un peu.
3. Ensuite, ajoutez les 2 tasses de bouillon et mélangez. Il faut que tous les légumes soient couverts par le bouillon, si ce n’est pas le cas, ajoutez de l’eau pour compléter. Ajustez la température pour obtenir une légère ébullition, couvrez, et laissez le tout mijoter pendant 15-20 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que les légumes soient cuits.
4. Quand le bouillon a réduit, ajoutez 1 1/2 tasses d’eau bouillante. Mixer le tout à l’aide un mixeur plongeant jusqu’à ce que la soupe soit complètement homogène. Ajustez l’assaisonnement.
5. Servez cette soupe avec une tranche de pain de campagne grillée, et garnissez de graines de tournesol grillées, de persil fraichement ciselé, d’un filet d’huile pimentée et de poivre noir. Bon appétit!

TIP: Parmi mes garnitures préférées il y a: des croutons fait maison, du fromage de chèvre frais, des échalotes caramélisées, ou des petits cubes de pomme fraiche.

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