Vegetarian Recipe: Parsnip Puree

Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Amelia Saltsman is the author of the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook. She first shared this recipe for Parnsip Puree Melt on April 15, 2006.

Keep reading for the full recipe…

Smooth-as-Silk Parsnip Puree

Makes 6 servings

• 3 Tablespoons butter

• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 3 lbs parsnips

• Kosher or sea salt

• Freshly ground white pepper

• 8 cups vegetable stock

• Juice of half a lemon

• Walnut or pistachio oil, optional

• Fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt for finishing

1. In a wide pot over medium-low heat, gently cook the onion until translucent and softened, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and cut the parsnips crosswise into 1/2-inch coins (you should have about 8 cups). Stir the parsnips into the onions and season with salt and white pepper. Cover and cook until partially tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Add 2 cups of the stock, replace cover, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to keep soup at a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Add 4 cups more stock and continue simmering until the parsnips are very tender, about 15 minutes more.

3. Puree the soup with a standing or immersion blender. To remove all the fibers and get a silky puree, rub the soup through a fine-mesh sieve (a chinois or tamis) into a clean pot. You’ll have about 5 cups thick puree.

4. Reheat the soup, thinning with remaining stock to the consistency of heavy cream. Add a couple of squeezes of lemon–the soup shouldn’t taste lemony, but the flavors should come alive.

Serve with a swirl of walnut or pistachio oil if desired and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Soup may be made up to a day ahead and reheated.