This recipe marries sweet summer corn with delicately sweet parsnips, fresh garlic and herbs for a wonderfully easy soup that has a creamy texture and rich flavour, despite being fairly low in calories. Serve it simply, with a dollop of buttery mascarpone and fresh, chopped parsley.
Sweet corn and parsnip soup
- 2-1/2 tbs butter
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 sprigs parsley and chopped parsley for garnish, divided
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1/2 bay leaf
- 3 cups (1 pound) fresh, sweet yellow corn kernels (5 to 6 ears)
- 1/3 pound parsnips, peeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 2-1/2 tsp sea salt and more to taste
- 1/2 tsp white pepper, freshly ground and more to taste
- 6 to 7 cups milk
- Raw sugar to taste
(optional) - Mascarpone, for garnish
In a four-quart, heavy-bottom soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery and garlic. Add the parsley sprigs, thyme and bay leaf, stirring frequently for five minutes or until the onions are soft.
Add the corn, parsnips, two and a half teaspoons of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper and continue to sauté for 20 minutes until the parsnips are tender.
Stir in the milk and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes.
Purée the soup using an immersion blender or in stages using a standing blender. Strain.
Adjust the seasoning to taste and sweeten with raw sugar (if desired). This makes about seven cups of soup.
Serve warm, with a small dollop of mascarpone and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Total time: 70 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
Nutrition per serving: 226 calories; 9g protein; 26g carbohydrate; 3g fibre; 11g fat; 6g saturated fat; 29mg cholesterol; 822mg sodium.
(Adapted from the Organic Panificio Café.)
