Roasted Parsnip Soup with Diced Fennel Paired with Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Walnuts

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fennel and Butternut Squash with Apple and Walnut Soup

Bonus this week, two soups for the price of one, my first soup pairing and my first "Guest Chef".  Oliver Delunas spent most of the afternoon with grandpa in the kitchen helping me prepare these two very tasty soups.  Two soups served together in the same bowl make a dramatic presentation.  For these duets to work, both soups should be the same consistency, the flavors should compliment each other, and they should be different colors.

There are two methods to do this.  You can simultaneously pour equal amounts of soup into opposite sides of a soup bowl (it doesn't matter if the line swerves a little bit).  Or, fill a warmed soup bowl with about 3/4 cup of one soup, then pour about 1/4 cup of the second soup in the center of the bowl.  If necessary, thin one soup to match the consistency of the other.  This week I have chosen Roasted Parsnip Soup with Diced Fennel and Butternut squash with Apple and Walnuts for this pairing.
---Enjoy

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple  Walnuts Ingredients 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 1/2 cups butternut squash cubed 3 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth 1 apple, finely chopped 1/4 cup toasted walnuts 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup low fat sour cream or yogurt Salt and white pepper to taste 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fennel Ingredients 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil  2 lbs med parsnips, cut in quarters lengthwise and coarsely chopped 6 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth 1/2 cup low fat sour-cream 1/2 cup dry sherry (optional) salt & pepper to taste 2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples &Walnuts Heat the extra virgin olive oil in your soup pot over a medium heat Add the onions, apples and cubed butternut squash Partially cover and sweat for 45 minutes over a medium-low heat stirring ocassionally Add the low sodium vegaetable broth, the roasted walnuts, and the nutmeg. With your immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (if you do not have an immersion blender, use blender or food processor). Whisk in the low-fat sour cream or yogurt.  Season to taste with salt and pepper Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes Stir in the flat-leaf parsley and serve Broil until the cheese is melted

Directions for Parsnip Soup Heat 2 tbs of olive oil into a soup pot over a med-high heat.   Add the parsnips, turning to coat with oil.  Partially cover the pot and sweat the parsnips over medium-low heat until they are tender and lightly browned, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.   Pour the broth into the soup pot and stir to scrape up any browned bits of the parsnips and add the fennel. With your immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (if you do not have an immersion blender, use blender or food processor). Heat the soup through and whisk in the low fat sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.