Smoked Paprika and Rutabaga Bisque Recipe
By
Kate Ramos
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In this winter soup we glorify the often-overlooked rutabaga. Simmered slowly and then blended with smoky paprika, this earthy root vegetable transforms into a velvety and irresistible bisque.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds rutabaga, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 4 1/4 cups)
- 4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 1/2 teaspoons high-quality smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once butter foams, add onion and celery, and season generously with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add rutabaga and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until rutabaga is tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Add half-and-half, paprika, and white pepper and stir to combine.
- Allow soup to cool slightly, then purée in a blender until smooth. (You will have to do this in batches.) Taste and season with more salt and white pepper as needed.
Beverage pairing: Royal Oak Pale Ale, England. Soft bubbles make for a nice contrast with a creamy bisque, while the modestly sweet malt of an ale will not offend the rutabaga. A light hoppy character in the beer adds complexity to the pairing without bringing in bitterness.
Re dye in paprika...look on the label. There should be no dye as paprika comes from red peppers as far as I know. Get high quality paprika and paprika is all you should see on the label. The smoked kind is delicious in a lot of things, but it MADE this excellent soup.
I made this last night and it was delicious! I agree with the thought of not quite pureeing it, or adding other ingredients to give the soup a little something extra.
One thing to note: I used milk (no half-and-half on hand) and the soup was thin. I think the cream is a definite must for texture.
I'm guessing that the non-smoked paprika you used had dye in it (very common).
I'm gonna try this, most recipes I see here are nothing new, but this is someting I haven'tseen
Oh my word, this looks amazing. Can't wait to try it!
Delicious. I went ahead and pureed the whole thing, now I'm thinking that adding a little something for texture would would be even better; things to possibly try include: roasted coarsely chopped pecans, caramelized cauliflower, or homemade croutons.
How far in advance can this be made?
Used for 3 Christmas parties this year. My husband called it 5 star soup. I do preferr "non-smoked" paprika for my less adventurous guests! New regular dish for us! Thanks.
This was fabulous! Very easy, different, a great use for rutabagas.
Fwegan, I made this recipe, and it came out a slightly paler version of the photo. You need to have the Spanish smoked Paprika. I'm guessing that the non-smoked paprika you used had dye in it (very common). Buy the good stuff and try again. The smoked flavor complements the earthiness of the rutabaga very well. Also, I'd suggest using an immersion hand blender in the pot rather than doing a complete puree of the soup. A little texture is nice.
fwegan, if the color disturbs you, I bet adding a large carrot to the rutabaga wouldn't alter taste too much. It would punch up the color a lot. You could do the same thing with a few cubes of butternut or acorn squash.
I'm so glad soup season is here! Made this tonight for some company, and it was pretty good even though I only had non-smoked paprika. Rather disturbing color, though -- nothing like the picture. It was much more pink and pale.
wow this looks really good...
Made this tonight, very good !! It made 8 cups, nice and thick.