Creamy Parsnip Soup with Pear and Walnuts

Well, we are back in Phoenix, the trip from Oregon to Arizona can sometimes be exhausting. The biggest problem is that I carry too many things from one house to the other. I always bring my favorite knives even though I have knives at each house, and I always cart all my spices to and from in a large Tupperware tub. Sadly this is only the beginning of the things I bring, my husband is a patient man.....

The first 10 days after arriving I spent time with 2 extraordinary young boys; (my grandsons) and was too exhausted to write, post or comment. I marvel how so many of you can juggle kids, work and post all at the same time. Anyway, we had so much fun, we baked pizzas, went to museums, many parks and the zoo.

In the meantime and at the same time the season is changing. Love this time of year! After pursuing through my November issue of the Food and Wine magazine I spied this soup. This recipe is from from Marcus Samuelson's new cookbook, "Marcus Off Duty".  Here I used Yukon potatoes instead of sunchokes and cut back on the cream.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds parsnips (peeled and chopped)
2 medium Yukon potatoes (peeled and chopped) (recipe uses sunchokes)
4 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
4 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
3 cups chicken or veggie stock
1/2 cup heavy cream (recipe uses 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the toppings:

Chopped walnuts
Drizzle of walnut oil
Fresh pear slices

To prepare:

In a large soup pot on medium heat, add olive oil, then parsnips, potatoes and garlic, stirring until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in garam masala, cumin, turmeric and salt. Cook, stirring until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add water and stock. Bring to a simmer, cook until veggies are tender, about 25 minutes. Add cream.

Puree soup in batches or with boat motor. Taste, season with salt and pepper.

Add toppings and serve. Enjoy!

Parsnips are all about fall and winter and this particular recipe is special, very special.