| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil, plus 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil (or other nut oil), for pumpkin seeds
- 1 leek (white and light green section), halved lengthwise, washed and thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 6 parsnips (about 1 1/2 pounds) peeled and thinly sliced
- 6 ounces celery root (celeriac) peeled and diced
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 large cooked russet potato, peeled and cubed (leftover baked potato can be used)
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- Lemon juice, to taste
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Sprinkling fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Heat the peanut oil in a heavy 3 quart saucepan or Dutch oven. Add leek and jalapeno; saute 2 minutes until fragrant. Add parsnips and celery root; continue cooking for an additional 6 minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil then lower heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in potato, celery salt and white pepper. Transfer to a blender, add cream and in 2 batches, process until mixture is smooth. Return to saucepan and keep warm. Squeeze in lemon juice, to taste. Adjust seasoning, as necessary.
- In a small bowl, toss pumpkin seeds with nut oil. Toast in a fry pan until light golden brown (1 to 2 minutes). Sprinkle with salt.
- Ladle soup into 4 bowls and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and lemon zest.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 513 |
| Total Fat | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Sugar | 14 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 40 mg |
| Sodium | 1451 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 513 |
| Total Fat | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Sugar | 14 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 40 mg |
| Sodium | 1451 mg |
Reviews
I saw this on the episode, and was really excited to try it, but was kind of put off by the reviews. I followed Lorraine’s advice and added the butter and bullion, and left out the lemon zest, and added some more chicken broth to thin it down a bit, and my family enjoyed it. I’ll happily make this recipe with the recommended changes again.
I made this soup after seeing the Comfort Food competitiion and thought it would satisty both my husbands desire for healthy light food as well as something to send to my mother-in-law who is on a pureed diet after breaking her jaw. This has a wonderful flavor (not “bland” at all) It is sweet and creamy and the pepper adds a nice kick and more depth to the soup. I doubled the recipe and since I only had 1 jalepeno pepper, I added some of a habenero pepper and it’s the perfect amount of spice. I also used homemade chicken stock that I made from the left over carcasses of 2 rotissarie chickens, so it was a very rich broth with lots of flavor. I also used pinenuts since I didn’t have pumpkin seeds and they worked well too. Definitely a keeper of a recipe……and I would definitely consider myself a food snob! 🙂 Nice Job!
Lorraine was dead on when she suggested adding butter to the oil. Wish I had done that in the competition as it gave the soup a creamier texture.
I was brought up with home made soup and I make a lot of it. I really liked this recipe for a winter root veggie “comfort food” soup – with a few changes. Add a TBSP of butter to the oil when sauteeing the veggies. Add one extra cube of Knorr Chicken Boullion to the broth. I used toasted pine nuts instead of pepitas because they’re available and good here. The dash of lemon juice brought out the flavors, but the lemon zest clashed terribly – leave it out. I would certainly make it again. It’s similar to a cream soup that I make in the summertime, substituting yellow summer squash for the parsnips and celeriac, and using fresh cilantro for the secret final ingredient instead of lemon juice.
Watched tv segment for this soup recipe. Due to the high praise, I decided to make the recipe. I had a small lunch party today. I have just thrown the remainder of the soup away. It was lackluster, boring. Had a flavor that just didn’t make it. My guests, whom I respect for their culinary talents, were not impressed either.
Susan W.
Georgetown, SC
Susan W.
Georgetown, SC
Oh wow! Such a lovely earthy smell and flavor! A good way to end a easy Sunday. 🙂
We left the jalapeno seeds in because we wanted a little extra kick. Also we just used the already roasted and salted pumpkin seeds, which worked out just as good.
We’re definitely cooking this again!
found it to be very thick so i added 2more cups of chick stock. that helped with the consistency but even w/ additional seasoning the soup was still just ok tasting. would not make again.
I made this tonight after seeing it done on URS. It was just as described: smooth and comforting, with a nice, sweet flavor and a slight kick from the jalapeno. Really enjoyable — even without the pumpkin seeds.
I am always looking for a good winter soup recipe and this one is terrific. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us.