Apple Parsnip Soup

Keeping a blog makes me realize how quickly things change around here. I can barely keep up. We do have snow on the ground now (not bare like these photos), but still just barely enough for skiing. Here's to hoping the temperatures stay warm enough for snow and maybe all we will need is a warm bowl of soup to keep us warm for the next six (or eight) months of winter.
I am thankful for a mild November. Dermot should have asked us if we were planning a new wood stove before he predicted the severe winter this year. It's like you can pretty much guarantee it will rain if you forget your rain jacket and a grizzly bear will walk right across your path if you forget your camera. So Fairbanksans, you can thank us for buying a new wood stove and filling up our wood shed. A very mild November indeed.
If you need a little something to keep you warm, but aren't quite ready to start up the wood stove, this soup might just do the trick. I love the flavor the parsnips added to this soup. A great weekend lunch.

Apple Parsnip Soup
adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 1/2 cups chopped peeled apples
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 1/2 cups chopped peeled parsnip
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 teaspoons yogurt

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add apple and the next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add parsnip, chicken broth, and apple cider; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until parsnip is tender.

Using and immersion blender, blend until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper. Ladle about 3/4 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with 1 teaspoon yogurt.