Peanut Kernels from this Changeling Earth

I am a new fan of parsnips, erstwhile unknown to me. It was root discovery day at the farmers’ market on Saturday and I sampled a kebab of delicately prepared roots: orange carrot, white carrot, rutabaga, parsnip, red beet, watermelon beet, turnip. I dug the parsnips (rutabaga too) so when I saw them at my favourite farmer’s table, I had to get some. She also had flageolet beans and helped me come up with a recipe for using them with the parsnips. Here’s a recipe for a hearty earthy tasting soup that the German inside you will love!

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 small carrots – mixed varieties is nice, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
1 cup flageolet beans, soaked
5 small potatoes – a firm type like French or Russian Banana, chopped in quarters
olive oil

Soak the flageolet beans overnight (at least 2 inches of water above the beans). Rinse and drain them before starting to cook them the next evening. Sautée the onions in 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat. When they have become almost translucent, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the drained flageolets, carrots, and parsnips to the onions and add water to cover the beans by 4 inches. Bring the water to boil on high heat and then lower the heat to simmer the beans. Lightly cover the soup and stir every 10 minutes or so. After 40 minutes have passed, add the potatoes. Allow to cook 20 minutes or so more until the potatoes and beans are both soft and edible. Season with salt, pepper and more olive oil. Guten Appetit!