Recipe #51: Roasted Carrot & Parsnip Soup with White Wine

Many people wouldn't think of carrot if they were asked to name what they thought were the top 5 soups.  To me, it's somewhat of an afterthought of a soup.  Most recipes are made with curry to give the delicate flavor of the carrot a kick.  But, there are those who are not fans of curry, hence, this recipe.  Parsnips are in the carrot family...carrots have a sweet taste, whereas a parsnip can a sweet/spicy taste, but nothing like curry.  This soup has more of a quiet taste of carrot, parsnip, thyme and white wine.  A pretty basic soup, but the roasting of the carrots and parsnips gives it a little edge over just steaming them before beginning the soup. 

1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces         2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" pieces           2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp butter
2 large shallots, peeled and sliced                               5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine                                                  1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper

Place carrots and parsnips in a large bowl with the olive oil and brown sugar.  Bake in a 400 oven for about 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables start to brown.  Remove from oven.  In a dutch oven, heat the butter and saute shallots until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Put carrots and parsnips in pot with shallots, then add the chicken stock, (see below).  Stir and simmer on low for about 15 minutes.  Add white wine, salt, pepper and thyme, and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Put soup through blender, I use my Nutribullet, to liquefy.  Put back in dutch oven.  At this point, you may need to add more chicken stock if the soup is too thick for your liking.  Add, then put back on low heat for another 10 minutes. Bon appetit!

In the picture below, I peeled some carrot and parsnip for garnish.