Potato, Parsnip, and Sprouting Broccoli Soup

Yum. Here's what we had last night--another of those recipes that does well for vegans and plain old vegetarians. And the approximate recipe....I whipped it up last night, originally intending just Cream of Broccoli, but more complimentary veggies makes a more complex and tasty soup. And I didn't measure, just used up CSA veggies. This idea came loosely from Deborah Madison's Rough and Ready Potage recipe, but it's not the same....exactly. :-)

Potato, Parsnip, and Sprouting Broccoli Soup

Chop one onion and two or three cloves of garlic, and saute in olive oil in a large soup pot. When they're nice and tender and fragrant, add three potatoes, cubed but unpeeled, and three parsnips, peeled and sliced/cubed (slice the thinner portions and cube the thicker portions). Add about 4 cups of the good homemade vegetable stock you have in the freezer (what? you don't have any? Well, start saving veggie scraps now for making vegetable stock, in your freezer--start with the clean peelings of the parsnips) or a quart of good organic boxed broth and enough water that the veggies have room to cook. Add salt and pepper and a sprig or two of fresh rosemary and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for a good long time--at least until the vegetables are tender, but you can cook them until they're practically falling apart. If you want, at this point you can blend some or all of the potatoes and parsnips into a smooth puree. Using a stick blender makes this very easy. Add sprouting broccoli....I used a whole lot to use up my CSA veggies, three small colanders full. But you could just use one bunch. Chop the broccoli coarsely and add to the soup. Cook until it's done or until you're ready to eat. :-)



It's vegan like this, but for a non-vegan treat you can add a bit of heavy cream and some cheese--I used parmesan, but cheddar would be good, too.