Celery Parsnip Soup

I adapted this recipe from the one from Epicurious. As you can see, it was so good, there was hardly any left when i took this picture!

I was making beef stew which called for parsnips and had a few leftover. Ditto celery...so I decided to make a good soup. Curiously enough, I've never made western soup from scratch before, so it was a shot in the dark -- and a successful one too.

I also used a "Chinese Vacuum Pot" to cook this soup instead of over the stove. Totally saved stove space and I didn't have to watch it.

Ingredients:

4 ribs celery, chopped
5 small/med parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks (doesn't matter for soup b/c you're gonna blend it anyway)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp butter
oil for saute
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup water
splash of sherry brandy
3/4 tsp rice vinegar
1 cup of milk (skim)
pinch of black pepper

Directions:

1. Saute onions with celery in butter until softened. Approx 4 - 5 minutes. Add parsnip chunks and pepper stir for another two minutes. Deglaze with sherry and stir until liquid is absorbed.
2. Combine broth, water, rice vinegar and pour over the mixture.
3. Bring to boil then put it in the vacuum pot. Leave it overnight (or if you are in a rush, 30 minutes will do)
4. Use a hand-blender to emulsify the ingredients. Heat the mixture and stir in milk to serve.


This soup lasted 4 - 5 days in the fridge and was good till the last drop! Enjoy!