Rutabaga Soup

Rutabaga

What a wonderful time of year to celebrate the harvest by making great soups.

After enjoying a fabulous hike along the Bruce Trail this past weekend, we picked up some wonderful local vegetables and headed to the kitchen to turn them into soups - Rutabaga, African Peanut, and Lentil (recipes for the latter two to be posted in coming days). Our freezer is now happily packed with healthy and delicious treats to last us a while.

This recipe came from my brother, and I have to confess, at first I didn't think I'd really enjoy soup made from rutabaga. How pleasantly surprised I was to savour this interesting flavour combination, made perfectly complete by a drizzle of maple syrup on the top of each serving! Everyone who tries this soup says they are surprised that it's actually delicious.

While this recipe calls for 1 cup of whipping cream, I don't use it because I find that it gets creamy and smooth enough by being pureed. However, it certainly is delicious with cream, if you don't mind the extra calories. I've also reduced the fat and added part olive oil, as the original recipe calls for 1/4 cup butter. You can easily omit the butter and use only olive oil, but the butter adds a nice flavour that we like.

Also, a word on sodium counts in prepared broth. I recommend checking the amount of sodium, and if available, try the low-sodium option and simply adjust the salt yourself. I was shocked by the sodium counts in the various vegetable broths, and was especially disappointed that the organic brands contained 38% of the recommended daily maximum amount of sodium per serving. If you have time and are so inclined, it's definitely worth making your own; otherwise, just choose the prepared options cautiously.

Rutabaga Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 c. leeks, sliced and well cleaned
3 c. rutabaga, chopped (about 1 medium)
4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. whipping cream (optional)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Saute leeks in olive oil and butter until slightly translucent. Do not brown. Add stock and rutabaga. Bring to boil. Reduce and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the rutabaga is tender. Bring to room temperature and puree in blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with maple syrup. Savour slowly...