a blissful life.

This week I decided to embark on a new kind of Tumblr.  A cooking Tumblr.  I love cooking and baking, so from now on, I will share my adventures in the kitchen with all of you.  For my first post, I whipped up a delicious Apple and Parsnip soup and wine spritzers (when you can’t afford good white wine… just add some Sprite Zero, class).  This is a wonderful springtime dish because it’s not too heavy.  I skipped the fried parsnip for the extra garnish, but it tasted delicious all the same.  Also, I did not let all the ingredients to completely blend, which gave the soup a marvelous texture.  So if you feel like making a fantastic homeade spring soup…

Apple and Parsnip Soup

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 piece proscuitto
1/2 onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 apple, peeled and diced
2 big parsnip, peeled and diced (~4 cups chopped)
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
virgin olive oil for garnish (olive oil)

In a large sauce pan sweat the onion in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. At the same time, heat a medium skillet to medium heat. Add the teaspoon of the olive oil and fry the proscuitto over until crisp on both sides. Remove to a paper towel and add 3 tablespoons of your prettiest diced parsnip. Fry until soft through, and browned on all sides. Reserve for garnish.

When the onion is soft add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Follow with apple and remaining parsnip along with a big pinch of salt. Sweat for 10 minutes to bring out the flavors. Add the stock and simmer until the parsnip is very soft. Run soup through a blender until uniform (but not too uniform).

Transfer the soup back to a pot. If it is too thick, thin out with a little touch more stock. Bring back to a simmer and adjust for seasoning. Serve hot, topped with fried parsnip, broken shards of proscuitto, fresh pepper and olive oil.

Adapted from Daily Unadventures in Cooking