Creamy Parsnip Bisque with Hazelnut Pesto - Series 0

What You'll Need
1 onion, diced
1 small leek, split lengthwise, rinsed well, diced
6-8 parsnips, diced
3 cups plain rice or soy milk
3 cups spring or filtered water
1/4 cup mirin or white wine
2 1/2 teaspoons white miso
small bunch fresh parsley, minced for garnish

hazelnut pesto
1 cup hazelnuts, oven toasted, skinned
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian flat leaf parsley leaves
3 shallots, diced
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white miso
2 teaspoons umeboshi vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon brown rice syrup

Instructions
Layer vegetables in a soup pot in the order listed. Gently add rice or soy
milk, water and mirin. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce
heat to low and simmer until parsnips are quite soft, about 30 minutes.
Remove a small amount of broth, dissolve miso and stir into soup. Simmer,
uncovered, for 3-4 minutes to activate enzyme activity.
While the soup cooks, make the pesto. Combine all ingredients in a food
processor and puree until smooth. You will have more pesto that you may
need for this recipe. It will keep, refrigerated, for about a week.Transfer soup, by ladles, through a chinois or food mill, to create a smooth
puree. Return to pot and simmer for 1 minute. Serve, garnished with a
generous dollop of pesto and sprinkled with minced parsley. Makes 6-8
servings.
Note: To roast hazelnuts, arrange nuts on a baking sheet and bake at 325o
for about 15-20 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer nuts to a paper sack and
allow skins to loosen in the steam or about 10 minutes. Then rub nuts in a
towel to remove the skins.Both these recipes can be made the day before the party and the soup simply
re-heated. Just let the pesto come to room temperature.