Recipe No. 4

White Bean and Parsnip Soup with Herby Croutons and Parsley Oil

Cosy up this autumn with a nourishing warm soup. It is delicious and satisfying to feed your whole family for supper. It will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days, so great to make a pot and have for a week’s lunches. It would also make a perfect starter for Thanksgiving or Christmas lunch. You can make it ahead of time so you have more time to enjoy it with family and friends.

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cooking time

30 minutes

Serves

4 - 6

First recipe image by Alicja Sieronski — Photo by Alicja Sieronski

Ingredients

For the soup

1 lb parsnip
3 tablespoon oil, divided
5 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon freshly picked thyme leaves
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 can cannellini beans
⅓ cup white miso
1 lemon
½ teaspoon cayenne, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
4 - 5 cups broth, vegetable or chicken stock

For the croutons

4 - 6 slices sourdough bread
1 - 2 tablespoons parsley and tarragon, finely chopped
1 - 2 tablespoons oil

For the oil

25 - 30 g parsley
½ cup mild olive oil
Sea salt

WHAT ELSE YOU’LL NEED

Blender
Fine sieve
Ice cubes
Tip: use a mandoline for slicing the onion, if you have one

Second recipe image by Alicja Sieronski — Photo by Alicja Sieronski

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 5

Wash, scrub and roughly chop the parsnips into 1 inch chunks. Peel the garlic and place in a roasting tin with the parsnip.

Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season, sprinkle with thyme, place in the oven and cook for 15 - 20 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, place the thinly sliced onions in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil and cook on low for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and caramelised. Don't let the brown too much.

Drain and rinse the beans, set aside.

When the parsnip is tender and onion caramelised, add both to a blender together with the roasted garlic, beans, broth, miso paste and cayenne pepper, if using. Season well and blend until smooth. Add more broth or water if you want a thinner consistency.

You can use a stick blender for this step too, otherwise place soup in a large pot, ready to heat through.

For the croutons, cut the sourdough slices into ½ inch squares and place in a hot skillet. Toss generously olive oil, season with salt and toast for 5-7 minutes, until golden and crispy. Now, toss in finely chopped herbs.

Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.

For the parsley oil, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl filled with water and some ice cubes.

Once the water is boiling, add the parsley and cook for about 15 seconds; just until the stems are bright green. Quickly transfer to the ice bath and let sit for a couple of minutes to cool completely. Transfer the parsley to a dry tea towel and dry, squeezing gently, until most of the moisture is out.

Transfer the parsley to a high-speed blender and add the oil. Puree until completely.

Pour the oil into a fine sieve and let sit. Do not press the oil through. Once done, transfer to a bottle and store in the refrigerator for a couple of days. When you are ready to serve the soup, heat it through and stir some lemon juice through. Serve with croutons and parsley oil drizzled on top.

Enjoy!