Smoked Paprika & Rutabaga Soup

My family (the one I was born into) has mashed rutabaga at both Christmas and Thanksgiving. It sort of looks like orange mashed potatoes ... and for some reason we call it turnip. Except it's actually rutabaga. Either way, I absolutely love it! My children, on the other hand, force a little down to be polite.

So when I came across a recipe for Smoked Paprika & Rutabaga Soup, I wasn't very hopeful that they would like it. But I made it anyway, because I love rutabagas, they are one of the few local vegetables still available, and they are as cheap as dirt right now! And the kids ended up liking LOVING it! 

Here's what you need:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 small rutabaga, peeled and chopped

1 - 900 mL carton of vegetable stock

2 cups of light cream (or milk)

2.5 tsp of smoked paprika

1 tsp pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot. Saute the onion and celery for a couple of minutes. Add rutabaga and stock, heat to a simmer and cook until softened ... about 20-30 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender. Add cream, smoked paprika and pepper and heat until steaming. You don't want to boil it again, or the cream will burn. 

The toughest part of making this soup will be peeling and chopping the rutabaga. If you've never cooked rutabaga before, they are essentially edible rocks. Make sure you have a very sharp knife. 

The combination of flavours makes this a yummy, hearty, satisfying bowl of soup. Even if you don't like rutabaga, it's worth a try!

Enjoy ...