Already perfect in their raw fruit form, we don’t often gravitate towards persimmon recipes per se, but this soup is a major exception. Persimmon season is just about upon us and we’re ready to take full advantage – this soup is incredibly nutrient dense with the addition of maca, goji berries, cinnamon and hazelnuts.
Superfood author Julie Morris always delights us with her incredible, but accessible plant-based recipes (grab a few here!) and superfood-centric cookbooks. With Superfood Soups, Julie is winding down her Superfood book legacy, so we’re excited to celebrate this last book in the series. Learn more about Julie from our cooking class earlier this year and grab this recipe for all the fall feels…
Persimmons are some of the most cheerful fruits on the planet and always remind me of early fall, when they hang off the bare trees like jolly orange ornaments. They also do a wonderful job of lending creamy sweetness to a soup like this one.
Pro tip: If you’re using Hachiya persimmons, they should be extremely soft (and feel like a water balloon), otherwise they will taste too puckery. On the other hand, Fuyu persimmons should be hard and crisp.
PERSIMMON + PARSNIP SOUP WITH POMEGRANATE SEEDS
Makes 12 cups / 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp coconut oil
½ red onion, finely chopped
2 lbs parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
1½ lbs very soft Hachiya persimmons, trimmed and chopped
2 Tbsp dried goji berries
2 tsp maca powder
1 cinnamon stick
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups (unsweetened) vanilla almond milk
sea salt and ground black pepper
1 Fuyu persimmon, shaved into paper-thin slices, for garnish (optional)
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped
Directions:
Warm the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and parsnips and saute for 6–7 minutes, or until the parsnips begin to turn golden. Add the Hachiya persimmons, goji berries, maca powder, cinnamon stick and broth. Raise the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil; then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the almond milk and a little ground black pepper. Discard the cinnamon stick. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot over low heat to keep it warm. If the soup is too thick, add a little water. Taste for salt and adjust as desired.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a couple of persimmon slices, pomegranate seeds, chopped hazelnuts and a sprinkle of ground black pepper.
To roast the hazelnuts:
Place the hazelnuts in a small sauté pan over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, stirring frequently to keep them from burning. The hazelnuts will be ready when they are slightly browned and fragrant. Let them cool and then chop them into small bits. Alternatively, if you happen to have a fire going, place the hazelnuts in a fire-safe pan and hold it over the flames for 2–4 minutes, shaking the pan to avoid burning.
Reprinted with permission from Superfood Soups © 2016 by Julie Morris, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. Photography by Oliver Barth.
For more of Julie’s recipes, check out her bestselling cookbooks: Superfood Cuisine, Superfood Kitchen, Superfood Juices, Superfood Snacks and her most recent, Superfood Soups.
