Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup

I mentioned before that I've wanted to start cooking with new foods.  Parsnips is one of the first foods I wanted to try. I'd never eaten parsnips until a couple of weeks ago when my restaurant featured a special with whipped parsnips.  I really enjoyed them and knew that I wanted to find a couple good recipes.  The first was Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup.

Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds

1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 yellow onion, sliced
5 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
pinch of cumin, nutmeg, and ginger
vegetable or chicken stock (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400° F.


2. In a large bowl, combine the carrots, parsnips, onion, oil, salt and pepper, and spices. Mix well to coat the carrots and parsnips with seasoning.

3. Spread the vegetables on a pan in an even layer and roast, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

4. Put the veggies in a blender, along with 2-3 cups of stock or water. Blend until smooth and well-mixed.  Add more water as needed, 1/4 cup at a time.

5. Put the soup in a pot on the stove and reheat to serving temperature.

Note: I was really looking for a smoother soup, but the blender was still leaving the tiniest bits of carrot. To remedy this, I strained the soup once, and then added in about 1/2 of the bits strained out to add a little more texture, but still preserve the smoothness I was looking for.


Serving Suggestion: Serve this soup with a couple slices of toasted baguette brushed with olive oil.
Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

*Original recipe found on realsimple.com