Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 pound parsnips
- 1/2 medium onion
- 6 good-size garlic cloves, unpeeled, crushed with the side of a knife
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method
- Peel the parsnips with a vegetable peeler and cut them into 1/2-inch discs. Reserve the peelings—which can be quite sweet—for the stock. Cut the onion into slices of the same thickness.
- Add the parsnip peelings to the chicken or vegetable stock in a deep pan and bring to a simmer.
- Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pot with a large surface area. Arrange the parsnips, onion and garlic in a single layer. (Don’t overcrowd them; if necessary, saute in batches.) Sautee on a low heat until both sides are a rich dark brown (about 20 to 30 minutes).
- Strain the peelings from the stock, then add the stock to the pot of sauteed vegetables and simmer this mixture for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Puree the mixture with a hand-held immersion blender, or allow to cool, then puree in batches in an upright blender. Strain the mixture.
- Add sherry vinegar, lemon juice and heavy cream and stir thoroughly.
- Adjust the seasonings with salt and freshly ground pepper.
