The Pureed Soup
Parsnip-Hazelnut Soup with Scallion Oil
I don’t know when exactly it happened, but somewhere along the way, my high-speed blender replaced my food processor as my go-to kitchen appliance. I think it has something to do with my instinct to puree any extra vegetables into a super-smooth soup. This recipe triples down on blender action—any blender will do by the way, not just a high-speed one. First I use it to make a basic version of hazelnut milk as a flavorful creamy element that underscores the signature nuttiness of parsnips, then I puree the soup itself, and finally, I use the blender to make scallion oil, an all-purpose Kelly green drizzle of deliciousness. Note that you’ll want to soak your hazelnuts overnight before making this.
Extra ingredients: roasted leeks, roasted parsnips (or other roasted vegetables)
Time: 20 minutes (20 minutes active)
Makes 4 to 6 servings (1 quart)
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 cup hazelnuts, soaked overnight in 1½ cups water
1 cup roasted parsnips, from about 3 large parsnips
1 cup roasted leeks, from about 2 large leeks
3 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium canned (use water or vegetable stock to make it vegetarian), plus more as desired
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
Scallion oil, to garnish, optional
Crème fraîche, to garnish, optional
1. In a small dry skillet, toast the caraway seeds until fragrant. Cool to room temperature, then crush 1 teaspoon of the seeds with a mortar and pestle or grind them in a spice grinder.
2. In a blender, puree the hazelnuts and their soaking water until very smooth. Add the ground caraway, parsnips, leeks, and stock and puree into a very smooth mixture. Add more liquid as needed to reach the desired consistency: thick but pleasantly spoonable. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
3. To serve, heat the soup in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Garnish with the scallion oil and crème fraîche, if desired, and the remaining caraway seeds.
VARIATIONS
- Change the vegetables. Almost any cooked starchy roasted vegetables or legumes can work well in a soup like this. Cooked peas, corn, sweet potatoes, squash, beets, lentils, beans can all be whizzed into smooth and tasty soups. If your vegetable is less starchy, such as asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, or cauliflower, you can still make a soup; just work a little cooked potato or rice into the puree to help hold it all together.
- Change the creamy element. Instead of the homemade nut milk in this recipe, you can use 1 cup of cream or buttermilk to enrich the soup. You will need to add about 1 extra cup of stock or water as well.
- Change the garnish. You can swap sour cream, lightly browned garlic slices, toasted cumin and caraway seeds, or chile oil for the scallion oil; you are basically looking for a bright or pungent contrast to the creamy mellowness of the soup.
GETTING TO COOKED
PARSNIPS
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Peel 3 large parsnips and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Toss them with 1½ tablespoons olive oil, fine sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the parsnips in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast, turning once, until tender and browned in places, 25 to 30 minutes.
GETTING TO COOKED
LEEKS
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Trim 2 large leeks (you want just the white and light green parts), slice them in half vertically, and rinse well. Pat dry. Cut the leeks into 1-inch chunks and toss them with 1½ tablespoons olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the leeks cut sides down in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast until tender and browned in places, 20 to 25 minutes.