Roasted Garlic, Cauliflower and Parsnip Soup with Balsamic Caramelized Onions

750 grams parsnips (about 6), washed well and chopped into 2cm chunks
250 grams cauliflower florets (about 8oz)
6 cloves garlic peeled
2 tbsp olive oil (or cooking oil of choice)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves peeled from the stem (discard stem)
1 tbsp honey
½ batch caramelized onions
1.5 litres vegetable stock (about 6 cups)
¼ cup heavy cream
toasted hazelnuts to serve
extra cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F

Combine the parsnip chunks, cauliflower florets and garlic in a roasting tin.

Drizzle on the olive oil (or cooking oil of choice), fresh thyme, honey, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Pop into the preheated oven and roast for about 15-20 minutes, or until starting to turn golden brown.

Once the veggies are roasted, add to a blender along with the caramelized onions and vegetable stock. Blend until smooth. (You may have to do this is batched depending on the size of your blender). Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to a large saucepan and use a handheld blender, although I have found the consistency is not as smooth with this method.

Add the blended soup to a large saucepan, add the cream and heat until the desired temperature is reached.

Serve sprinkled with some toasted hazelnuts and topped with a swirl of cream. Add more salt and pepper as needed.

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