Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup, and Embarrassing Canadians.

I visited my girlfriend last weekend and went to an AMAZING restaurant in Ottawa- actually, all weekend was an amazing mesh of good food and good drinks. I had a delicious bowl of parsnip soup and got inspired to make my own!

Before my recipe, you need to see these photos of Canada's capital.

Don't check your eyes. In the nation's capital, we care about the American President.

HEAV. EN. 

Now THIS makes more sense. Canada's capital, 4 portraits of the Biebs. 

Ah, the old "go stand next to that weird statue-looking french guy and I'll pretend to take a photo and not be creeped out by him" trick. 

We hit up the Parliament buildings, and as always, act extremely classy.

YOU NEED THIS.
BUTTER CHICKEN POUTINE.
GET IT.
NEW YORK FRIES.
You're welcome.

It really did deserve a love photo. Soon after, small children were taken out of the food court by their parents. 

I don't know what this guy was doing. I wanted a photo with the wine. 

I love you, L'Ottawa! You inspired me to cook. I'm not usually one to follow a recipe to a tee, so this is a general outline of what I did:

-I bought a whack of parsnips. Ya, like, a lot.

I know what you're thinking. "What the hell is a parsnip?"

-You'll also need an onion, garlic, 2-3 apples, curry powder, turmeric, veggie stock, and cream (I bought light cream).

-Put a medium sized onion into a large pot with a clove of garlic, about 1/4 cup of butter, and a glug of olive oil and cook under low heat for about 5-7 minutes.

-Cut up parsnips into small chunks and add to the pot. 

-Add about 2 tbsp of curry powder and 1 tbsp turmeric. 

-Add 2 quarts of veggie or chicken stock (I used veggie). 

I wish you could smell me! I nearly burnt my nose hairs.

-Simmer for 10 minutes, covered, under medium heat. 

-Chop up 2-3 medium apples and remove their skin. Add to the soup and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until parsnips are tender. 

-Turn heat to low, and transfer soup to a blender. I like a little chunk in my soup, so blend to your desired consitency. 

-Add 1 cup of cream in a swirl, and voila! Check for your own personal ideal for spices (more curry powder? Dash of salt, pepper?) 

-I picked up a multigrain baguette from the bakery to serve. 

I'm embarrassed. You'll see a hunk of fudge that I got in Ottawa just above this. 

Delish!!!!

Best part: the main parts of the soup are all local ingredients! Bonus. 

We've had a miserable week of rain, so this was great to come home to! (That, and I try to save the wine for the weekend). 

Happy Eats, Peeps!