Gilfeather and Parsnip Soup!

So i found a gilfeather (top round vegetable) at the farmers market last weekend and decided to buy it because i didn't know what it was. Doing a little research I found the gilfeather to be a root vegetable indigenous to vermont! (it must have been fate) It was named for John Gilfeather of Wardsboro - a town on the southern border of Vermont who grew the rutabaga (although he called it a turnip) in the early 1900's. Each frost it undergoes in the ground only increases the sweet yet mild flavor, which makes this root veggie particularly well suited to grow in vermont. In fact it is one of the few vegetable actually indigenous to vermont and is a heirloom variety.

So inspired by the creamy turnip soup that the chef at my restaurant makes I did a little improvising and made a spicy gilfeather and parsnip soup. I started by sauteing a diced onion in butter, then adding vegetable broth and the root vegetables (i threw in 1 random potato for texture) and simmering for about 45 minutes, or until soft. Next adding in some heavy cream and blending it with my handheld kitchen aid (which since my butter making incident I am very careful with). Once everything is pureed, I simmered a few dried chili pepper in the soup for about ten minutes. This adds a nice smokey flavor. Overall I couldn't believe the sweet flavor of the gilfeather, balanced with the parsnip unique flavor. I loved the creamy texture with the smokey flavor too. Watch the video I took when i made my roommates taste it!