Saturday with My Honey Glazed Parsnip Carrot Soup

I've never been a huge fan of plain old carrot soup - nothing really against it, it's just kind of meh. Then, a few months ago, I tried a carrot soup recipe that added parsnips to the mix. I really like parsnips (even the name is fun) and they definitely added some sass to an otherwise meh carrot soup, but I still felt pretty underwhelmed. 

Then, just recently I tried a recipe for skillet-roasted-honey-glazed carrots and parsnips. Definitely a mouthful to say, but delicious all the same. This got me to thinking. The roasted and glazed veggies were savory, wholesome and really flavorful - all the things I wanted in a carrot soup. So, why couldn't I turn the skillet roasted carrots and parsnips into a rockin' soup? I decided to give it a try, and the result is 'Saturday with My Honey Glazed Parsnip Carrot Soup'. 

This soup has all the savoriness of the roasted root vegetables, with a slight sweet undertone from the honey (which helps mellow out the sometimes aggressive parsnip). The result is super easy and healthy and surprisingly rich tasting. For those who want to like carrot soup but who are tired of it being meh, 'Saturday with My Honey Glazed Parsnip Carrot Soup' might be worth a try!

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 in. pieces

- 2 med. parsnips (about 1/2 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/2 in. pieces

- 1 med. yellow onion, roughly chopped

- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth - set aside 1/4 cup

- 1 cup warm water

- 1 - 1 1/2 tbs. honey

- 1 tsp. salt 

- pepper to taste

- dash of dried rosemary

- pinch of ground cinnamon

- 2 tbs. oil, butter or fat (I used roasted goose fat from the Christmas goose - god bless us every one)

Process:

1. melt the 2 tbs. fat in pot/dutch oven. When shimmering, add carrots and parsnips. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until golden brown. About 12-14 min.

2. Whist 1/4 cup broth, honey, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. When the parsnips and carrots are golden brown and beginning to soften, add honey mixture to the pot. Cover and cook 5 -10 min, until the liquid has begun to thicken.

4. Add the onions to the carrots, parsnips etc, and cook until they have softened. About 10 min.

Add rosemary and pepper to taste.

5. When the onion has softened and begun to go translucent, add the rest of the broth and up to 1 cup of warm water. Bring to a boil covered, then uncover and simmer for 20 -30 min, until the parsnips and carrots are completely tender.

6. When veggies are completely tender, take the soup off heat. It can be eaten as is, but it tastes even better pureed. If you have an immersion blender, this is the time to use it. If not, puree it in batches in a standard blender, being really, super careful because the soup will be really super hot. 

7. For added richness, add a dollop of cream or half and half before serving. Otherwise, simply serve and enjoy! It also tastes great with nice, hearty breads and butter.