Third Saturday of the month, which means it’s time for soup! This month’s Soup Saturday Event event is hosted by Wendy, from A Day in the Life on the Farm. She chose Root Vegetables as the theme. I thought about making a potato soup I’ve had in my files sitting for 6 years. Yes, I checked. That soup calls for two kinds of potatoes and it also involves shrimp. Unusual, right? I definitely have to make it before another 6 years go by. But then, another option called my attention, one that features a veggie that doesn’t get much praise. The parsnip. Inspiration for the recipe came from the cookbook The New England Soup Factory, but I modified it quite a bit. Parsnips paired with tomatoes, a tasty idea. No matter your stance on this humble looking root veggie, I am certain you will love this soup.
PARSNIP AND TOMATO SOUP
(inspired by New England Soup Factory)
1 large shallot, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
8 medium parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks
1 bottle V8 juice (12 ounces)
2 cups water
1/4 cup half and half
salt and pepper
fresh dill
.
Add the tomatoes with the liquid, stir to release brown bits from the pan. Transfer to a pressure cooker, add the V8 juice and 1 cup of the water. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, cook on top of the stove until the parsnip pieces are tender, around 50 minutes. If you use a pressure cooker, cook for 20 minutes and release pressure under cold running water.
.
Transfer contents to a high-powered blender, and blend until smooth. Return to the pan. If too thick, thin with additional water. If too thin, simmer to thicken it. Add the half and half, some fresh dill and simmer gently for a couple of minutes. Ladle into soup bowls and add fresh dill right before serving it.
.
Sprinkle some more fresh dill as a garnish.
.
.
Wendy, thanks for hosting! I invite my readers to click on the link feast below, to see what my virtual friends cooked up this month…
https://static.inlinkz.com/cs2.js
ONE YEAR AGO: A Retro Dessert
TWO YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Tortillas: Going low-carb and loving it!
THREE YEARS AGO: Clementines in Cinnamon Syrup
FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2013
FIVE YEARS AGO: Thrilling Moments (CROISSANTS!)
SIX YEARS AGO: Maple-Oatmeal Sourdough Bread
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Pork Trinity: coffee, mushrooms, and curry
I didn’t know it was Soup Saturday tomorrow (it’s only 10:30 Friday night in my time zone) but I do have some soup posting tomorrow! A shrimp one too, ha! I do hope you get around to the shrimp and potato soup one soon, as me and the hubs love shrimp. I am quite partial to the spicy V8. Either way, this root soup sounds and looks tasty. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can join the party! Just add your post to the link by clicking and adding your own… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I just did!
LikeLike
This looks delicious, and I’ve been wanting to cook with parsnips more. Yum!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is really a veggie most of us don’t incorporate in our cooking often enough – it is so good, though…
LikeLike
I like parsnips but mostly I roast them for their crunchy goodness. I haven’t seen V8 juice in a long time – I bet that makes a great soup.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Next time I’ll go for the spicy kind. We have so many options for V8, single serving tiny cans, bigger cans, small bottles, big bottles…. A bit much, if you ask me 😉
LikeLike
Good morning! I’m glad to have a use for the parsnips I usually pass by in the market.
What size can of tomatoes? 14 ox or 28 ox? I’ll make a guess on the bottle of V8 based on the photo, but it would be nice to know.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good catch… I added the volume in one of my editing bits, and apparently forgot to save it. Will edit to include it.
LikeLike
Thanks – in one of my other lives I’m a copy editor so I notice these things. Agree that V-8 is marketed in too many forms. It’s all about claiming shelf space in the market and the more brand extensions you can think up, the more space you might get.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love parsnips and this soup sounds amazing….I haven’t tried the spicy V8 yet but often use V8 in my cooking so I’m picking up the spicy version next time I’m at the grocers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the spicy version is not too hot, could be a good ingredient to play with…
LikeLike
Can you believe I’ve never tried parsnips? They just don’t seem to get on my radar. This gorgeous soup makes me want to run to the store right now. I love, love, love the color, and fresh dill is one of my favorite flavors.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You must grab a bag and play, for some I think it’s an acquired taste, but I find their slightly sharpness quite pleasing… plus, so much lighter than other root veggies!
LikeLike
I usually only roast parsnips. I have never given thought to using them in a soup….sounds delicious, especially with the tomatoes and V-8!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a nice combination, I never thought of pairing parsnips with tomatoes, but works quite well…
LikeLike
I love parsnips, any which way I can get them. And they always behave so well in a soup. Never thought of adding V8 juice to a soup in place of stock, I’ll have to get some and try it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would not use the full amount of V8 in place of stock, it seems to me it is very strong by comparison, but using it as part of the liquid, worked well…
LikeLike
Pingback: Modish Taste | SOUP SATURDAY: ROOT VEGETABLES
Sounds good…but what is half and half?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It turns out it doesn’t exist in the UK – it is a lighter version of heavy cream. Here is what I found for you
https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-UK-equivalent-of-Half-and-Half-cream-in-the-US
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, thank you 🙂 x
LikeLike
This sounds lovely! I stopped using V8 in the late 80s when they reformulated it. I’ll have to give it another go and try your recipe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! they reformulated it? I had no idea… I doubt they made it “better” – usually the “new and improved” is never better, right? 😉
LikeLike
Yum, so many great ideas here.
The V8 juice (which I adore!!!) and then the garnish of dill, which is one of my favourite herbs.
Going to try this soon. 😀
LikeLike
So glad you GAVE PARSNIPS A CHANCE! This soup sounds delightful!
LikeLike
Roasted parsnips soup, yummy.
LikeLike