One morning as I paced the kitchen floor dreaming up my next big idea for tomato soup, someone delivered a 50-pound bag of parsnips. That’s all the inspiration I needed. Before I even gave myself time to figure out how the tomatoes would taste with parsnips, I was putting together the soup. The parsnips actually steal the show, mellowing the acidity of the tomatoes with their mild, earthy flavor. This vegetarian soup is both hearty and comforting.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
12 to 15 parsnips, peeled and sliced
6 cups whole peeled tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 cups tomato juice
4 cups vegetable stock or water
2 cups light cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat a heavy, lined stockpot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, and parsnips. Sauté for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the parsnips are soft and tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add the cream, dill, salt, and pepper.

Makes 10 to 12 servings