Roasted Parsnip, Garlic and Navy Bean Soup with Sage
Serves 4 to 6.
Sitting down to a steaming bowl of soup and crusty bread on a late Sunday afternoon can make for a relaxing re-entry into the workweek. (Doubling the recipe means lunches, too.) "This is a supremely smooth and silky soup, topped with deliciously crisp fried sage leaves. The garlic cloves, when roasted in their skins, deliver a sweet but rounded depth that I adore," writes Rachel Allen in "Soup, Broth, Bread" (Michael Joseph, 2022). "A perfect soup for a cold, blustery day."
• 3 medium or 2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-in. chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 3/4-in. chunks
• 6 very large, whole unpeeled cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 (16-oz.) can navy beans
• 4 c. vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tbsp. chopped sage
For serving:
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Handful of sage leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the parsnip and onion chunks on a baking sheet with the whole unpeeled cloves of garlic. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss the vegetables, seasoning with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables out to cover the base of the roasting tray and place in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until they are tender and a little golden around the edges.
Remove vegetables from the oven. Drain the beans and add all but a generous tablespoon of beans to the vegetables. Mix, and return the pan to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the vegetable or chicken stock over medium heat.
Remove the baking sheet of vegetables from the oven and transfer the vegetables — and any delicious juices — into the saucepan with the hot stock. Add the 1 tablespoon of chopped sage and blend the soup using an immersion blender until smooth and silky. (Or, working in batches, put vegetable mix in a blender, remove the plastic piece in the lid and cover with a dish towel and purée until smooth.) Season to taste.
To serve, pour the hot soup into warm bowls. Put the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a small frying pan and allow to get hot. Add the sage leaves and fry for 10 to 15 seconds, until they turn a couple of shades darker and become fragrant. Spoon the sage-flavored oil and the crispy sage leaves over the soup with the reserved beans, and serve immediately.
