"Food storage" soup - creamy gingered carrot parsnip bisque

This is a girly soup, in Alan's world. He has a hard time with pureed soups, which is unfortunate, because I love them. I whipped this up today and it was awesome. A perfect spring soup, that'd be absolutely lovely for a ladies luncheon with some of that rustic bread and a crisp green salad on the side topped with fruit, nuts and cheese.

I'm calling it "food storage" soup, because I used carrots and parsnips out of my garden that wintered over. It's just the most amazing way to have those vegetables. They get super sweet after the ground freezes. It doesn't look very pretty on top, but I'm here to tell you that there's gold underneath.

Parsnips are often maligned and usually underestimated. Give them a try! Please! If you live near by, I still have a few out in the garden. They're amazing roasted, and really good in this soup.

Without further ado, a very simple spring soup:

2 cups diced carrots

2 cups diced parsnips

2 shallots, minced

2 T. butter

1/2 an apple, diced (I used a gala)

1 T. grated fresh ginger (or ginger paste, if you're in a cheatin' mode)

2 cans chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cream

Saute the veggies in the butter in a medium saucepan, then put the lid on and let them sweat for 5 or so minutes. Add the ginger, apple and broth and simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are all soft. Puree in batches with either an immersion blender or in a regular stand blender and return to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste, and swirl in the cream just before serving.