Creamy Parsnip Soup with White Bread Cubes

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 500 g parsnips
• 200 g starchy potatoes
• 3 tbsp butter
• 100 g diced bacon
• 1 l vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp dried marjoram
• 150 ml heavy cream (at least 30% fat)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 4 slices toast bread

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel the onion, parsnips and potatoes. Cut everything into small pieces. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pot, fry the bacon until crisp, then remove it.

2. 2.

   Add the prepared vegetables to the pot and sauté over low heat for 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth and add ½ tsp marjoram; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

3. 3.

   Puree the vegetables with an immersion blender, folding in almost half of the cream and the mustard. Add more broth if desired for consistency. Season with salt and pepper, then return the bacon. Keep the soup warm.

4. 4.

   For the croutons, cut the toast bread into cubes. Heat the remaining butter and olive oil in a pan. Roast the bread cubes over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until lightly salted and golden.

5. 5.

   Whip the remaining cream almost to stiff peaks. Ladle the soup into deep bowls, top each with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with croutons. Garnish with leftover marjoram if desired.