It’s been a long time since I’ve made a nice batch of soup! Hot summer weather does not call for hot soups, and so understandably our stash of homemade broth just sat in our freezer neglected all summer long. But now that’s it getting a bit colder out, I’m looking forward to start making hearty and warming soups again.
The two vegetables I was really excited to use in this soup were parsley root and celery. Parsley root is a type of parsley grown specifically for its root. The root looks and tastes similar to parsnip, though it’s whiter and has a more delicate flavour. While I’m not a huge fan of parsnip, I love parsley root. Even better, it’s often found with the parsley greens attached. I found this gorgeous bunch at August Organics’ market stall. Parsley leaf lends a really nice flavour to soups, so I decided to use both the root and the greens.
I also found a very large and very leafy bunch of celery from Sunrise Gardens at the farmers market, which I found incredibly exciting. Maybe you find that strange, but I have my reasons. I haven’t had much luck finding good celery at our farmers market; it often tends to be small, stringy, and a bit dry in my experience. It’s also only available in the fall, so we haven’t really eaten celery since last year. It’s amazing how your appreciation for vegetables grows when you eat them in season, in their prime. So far this celery has contributed to a delicious stir fry, this soup, a snack, and is still only half used.
I chose to pair the parsley root and celery with some carrots, potato, and onion that my parents were kind enough to gift me from their vegetable garden. Ah, homegrown treasures. Lastly I added some lentils for protein and boom. Soup’s served!
- 1 tablespoon organic pastured butter
- 3 small yellow onions, diced
- 1 head garlic, chopped
- 5 carrots, chopped
- 6 medium parsley roots with greens attached, chopped
- 2 organic potatoes, chopped
- 1 bunch organic leafy celery, sliced
- 2-3L broth (learn to make your own!)
- mineral salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup French lentils, dried (or other type of lentil)
- Heat butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Once hot, add onions and sauté 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, carrots, parsley root and leaves, potatoes, and celery stalk and leaves. Cook 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
- Add the lentils and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until lentils are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
nightshade-free // try another root vegetable such as celery root or sweet potato
can't find parsley root? // substitute 4 parsnips and 1 large bunch of parsley
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