White Root & Pear Soup With Carmelized Onion & Parm Stuffed Matzah Balls

Parsnips are the unsung hero of the root vegetable family. Sweet and herby, the parsnip thrives best with pears and celery. This soup highlights the best of the roots, it is sweet, it is salty, its got some nutmeg, and it is perfectly luscious and creamy. Crisps for the top and stuffed matzah balls too! This soup is comfort and love in a very flavourful bowl. It is vegetarian and vegan adaptable, you can swap out any of the dairy products for vegan and just skip out on the Parmesan. Enjoy this magical soup!

Ingredients

Soup

1 whole celery root (about 4 cups peeled and chopped at 1/2 inch cubes)

8-10 Parsnips (about 3 1/2 cups peeled and chopped into thin discs)

1 Pear (peeled and chopped)

1 large onion (roughly chopped)

2 tbsp of butter

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup of dry white wine

6-8 sprigs of parsley and some more for garnish

1 bouquet garni of thyme, bay leaves, wrapped in a leak

Water

Nutmeg, Salt and Pepper

Garnish

Parsnip shavings

Celery root shavings

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Matzah balls

Your favorite Matzah Ball Mix

1 Onion (diced)

1 tbsp of butter

Maple syrup

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan

6-8 Springs of Parsley (leaves chopped finely, no stems)

Instructions

Parsnip and Celery Root Crisps

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

2. When you are peeling you celery root and parsnip take some extra peelings from both of the root vegetables, they will be curlicue strands

3. On a parchment paper or silicone mat lines pan spread out your shavings and pour about 1 tbsp of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt

4. Bake for 25 minutes about, checking on them and tossing them every 5-10 minutes

Soup

1. In a soup pot sautée chopped onions with butter until the onions are translucent

2. Add in chopped parsnip, celery root and mix to combine, let them sweat out too until the butter and onions are pretty mixed together with the root vegetables

3. Pour in wine to deglaze the pan and let simmer for 7 minutes or so until the alcohol is burnt off and the veggies get a little juicy

4. Add water to cover, add pear, a bushel of parsley to the pot.

5. Create a bouquet garni with one outside layer of a leek and fill it with thyme and bay leaves tie it together tightly with a fabric string and add to the pot as well

6. Let the soup simmer for about 30-45 minutes on a low to medium heat, until the vegetables are cooked through.

7. Remove the parsley and the bouquet, add in milk and blend with an emersion blender a little longer than you think, a minute past creamy is the texture that you want.

8. Season with salt, pepper, and zest in fresh nutmeg, or sprinkle in a touch

Matzah Balls

1. Follow directions on the box of the Matzah Balls, normally they will need a touch of time in the fridge

2. Caramelise 1 whole diced onion in butter, add a little salt to release liquid and at the end add in a touch of maple syrup to push the caramelisation along, this should take a while, do it on a medium heat because if its too high the onion will burn and if its too low it will take forever, let cool before adding them to the matzah balls

3. Once everything is cooled, combine onions, parsley and Parmesan with the matzah ball dough, and roll balls into 1 inch sized balls

4. Boil them in water as directed on the package, probably about 7 minutes

To plate

1. Pour the soup in first, matzah balls float on top of the soup, garnish with the crisps, some fresh parsley and a drizzling of olive oil