Roasted Parsnip and Celery Root Soup and a Special Giveaway!

Hurray we made it through the dreary month of February! Although here on the East Coast, it doesn't look like winter is going anywhere anytime soon. I'm a terrible Canadian. I love winter for oh, about the first 2 weeks, and then I just long for spring to come. Still, there are a few redeeming things about winter: the silence after a fresh snowfall, the wood stove crackling on a winter's eve, hot soups on the stovetop, and handmade woolies to keep us snug. Today, I have two of these wintery comforts to share with you. The first is a warm and wooly giveaway and the second is a recipe for a creamy roasted parsnip and celery root soup.

Let's start with the giveaway! I'm so excited to tell you that starting today, I will have a monthly giveaway sponsor which will be announced on the 1st of each month. And to start us off in pure elegance and style, Julie Sinden Handmade has generously offered a gorgeous 100% merino boiled wool hat to a lucky Kitchen Vignettes reader!

Julie is an award-winning textile artist based in Toronto. She is also a dear friend whose work I have admired ever since I met her. I have seen her whip up the most exquisite creations in the blink of an eye, from natural dyeing to felting to sewing and everything in between. Her beautiful hats are made using a boiled wool technique whereby you knit the item loose and large and then shrink it down to size. She describes it on her website as kind of like when you accidentally shrink your wool sweater in the wash, except that here, it's done on purpose.

Getting to wear one of Julie's elegant handmade hats is one of my favourite things about winter. In fact, my hat fits so cozily on my head that I often don't even take it off when I come in from outside. Actually, HA! I'm even wearing it as I write this and didn't realize it til now!

To be entered into the draw, it's very easy, you can choose one of 2 ways: 
1. Simply 'like' my brand new Kitchen Vignettes Facebook page as well as Julie Sinden Handmade's Facebook page and then leave me a comment below to let me know that you did.
2. Or instead, you can subscribe to this blog by e-mail (see the link to do so on the right sidebar).

The lucky winner will get to pick a hat of their choice (view the full winter 2013 collection by clicking here, there are both women and men's styles). Because we want to get your hat out to you before winter is over, I'll be drawing a winner in exactly 5 days so stay tuned! The giveaway is eligible to everyone, we will ship your hat wherever in the world you are.

Now let's talk soup! It's a snowy day here and I was browsing my newly received copy of The Farm, rustic recipes for a year of incredible food (by Ian Knauer) for warming recipes. This farm-to-table cookbook is packed with the most mouth-watering recipes including Sorrel-Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Shiitake-Stuffed Cornish Hens, and Swiss Chard & Fresh Ricotta Pizza. Mmmmmm.

Since we have a big bag of parsnips that need using up, I decided to make Ian's Parsnip and Celery Root Puree which I initially mistook for a soup recipe. Well, that was easily solved. I simply added some organic chicken broth to his recipe, put it through the blender and voila: a silky snow-white soup emerged, so simple to make, delightfully sweet and deeply flavourful, and perfect for this frosty day. I lapped it up like a kitty with a bowl of milk.

ROASTED PARSNIP AND CELERY ROOT SOUP
Adapted / Inspired from The Farm by Ian Knauer

Serves about 6 people

SOUP
1 medium-sized celery root (aka celeriac) equivalent to about 1 pound, cubed
2 medium-large parsnips equivalent to about 1 pound, cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup heavy cream (or milk)
Around 5 to 6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (more or less depending on how thick you like your soup)
Salt and pepper to taste

PARSLEY OIL (Optional garnish)
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1 chopped clove of garlic

Put your cubed veggies on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Bake in a 400 F oven for about 25 minutes, until golden. In a medium-large saucepan, mix the roasted veggies with your stock and simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Pour into a blender or use a hand blender to puree until smooth. Returning the soup to the saucepan and add the cream (or milk). Heat until hot but don't allow to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and a few drops of parsley oil to garnish if desired. To make the parsley oil simply put all the ingredients in the blender and puree. Strain through a cheesecloth or fine mesh.

For another inspiring recipe from The Farm, take a look at this video recipe for Ian Knauer's Potato Nachos, yum.