March is coming in like a lion here in the Midwest, so once again it’s time to put on your sweater, brew a hot cup of tea, and make a big pot of soup. Here’s a recipe I’ve been saving for just this sort of day, my friend Brian Mahieu’s subtle, sublimely flavored puréed carrot soup with parsnips. Though it’s fantastic in the dead of winter, I really can’t wait to try this in June using carrots harvested that same day. It’s such a light, silky soup (vegetarian and gluten-free) that it’s appropriate year round. (See the recipe and pictures below.)

Brian Mahieu (right) with Tom Harris and greyhounds Kai (left) and Commando.

Brian is a man blessed with an incredibly wide range of talents and interests. As his friends and family can attest, he’s an artist in the kitchen, creating beautiful, healthy, gluten-free dishes with an emphasis on organic, locally sourced ingredients, mostly low in carbohydrates and sugar. He draws inspiration from Thai, Chinese, Indian and French cuisines, and freely blends those cooking traditions when creating meals for his own family or his home catering customers. Even his beloved greyhounds are treated to Brian’s home-cooked chicken vegetable dog stew, which he adds to their kibble. (You can see how that’s made here on Facebook.) His wilted lettuce salad recipe was featured on this site last spring.

And food isn’t his only medium—he’s also a gifted visual artist who has specialized in plein air landscape painting for most of his career. He studied oil painting with Sid Larson at Columbia College, who called him “a gifted artist with integrity and talent…probably the purist oil painter Columbia College has produced.” His paintings are exhibited nationally, and can be found in public and private collections worldwide, with the largest public collection at the World Aquarium in St. Louis. He is also a graphic artist and web designer.

Walking On Sunshine, 30 x 30 inches, Lascaux acrylic on canvas (Brian Mahieu)

His work can also be found in his current hometown of Fulton, where he serves on the Board of Directors and Gallery Committee for Art House, a not-for-profit art space in Fulton’s Brick District that had its grand opening in early February. Brian has worked tirelessly for Art House, designing their logo, web site, and even helping to faux marbelize the floor. Now he’s organizing the first annual Callaway Plein Air, a plein air painting event/exhibit featuring Callaway County. As with everything Brian takes on, he’s thrown all his energy into helping make Art House and this new event a success.

A perennial gardener of considerable skill and artistry, Brian is also an internationally recognized daylily hybridizer—though now retired from that work—whose extensive collection is maintained now by the Mahieu Daylily Conservancy, and are available for purchase through Rockhaven Daylilies.

Brian and his husband Tom Harris live in Fulton with their two beloved greyounds Commando and Kai and whatever foster sighthounds are in need of their temporary care. Both men are heavily involved in greyhound rescue, and Brian works as webmaster and graphic designer for the St. Louis-based Rescued Racers organization.

Having read all that, can you imagine that this soup is anything less than divine? Here’s the recipe.

Puréed Carrot Soup with Parsnips

(Gluten-free, vegetarian)

Ingredients:

1 lb. organic carrots, peeled and chopped into uniform pieces
1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped into uniform pieces
1 medium to large sweet onion, chopped coarsely
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is nice.)
1 quart vegetable stock. (Brian uses Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base.) Homemade chicken broth may be used, but it takes away from the delicate vegetable flavors.
Pink Himalayan sea salt or kosher salt to taste (Brian only uses a dash of salt to help wilt the onions, then tastes the soup at the end of preparation and adjusts seasonings as needed.)
About 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan.
Add chopped onions and salt lightly. Toss with butter then cover and cook until translucent. You can cook them until they are lightly caramelized for more flavor, but it will change the color of the soup if you really caramelize them. After the onions are translucent, add garlic, carrots and parsnips and sauté for a few minutes.
Add the carrots and parsnips.
Add white wine and cook until reduced by 1/2.
Cover with vegetable stock and bring to a boil then simmer about 15 minutes until the vegetables are pierced easily with a fork, but not mushy.
Remove from heat and allow the vegetable mixture to cool slightly. Purée the vegetables in a blender in small batches until very smooth.
Return the pureed mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add 1/4 cup of hot whipping cream just before serving.
Float a swirl of whipping cream on soup before serving. May be garnished with chopped cilantro, watercress or carrot greens.

Notes from Brian: The parsnips add a delicate herbal aroma to the soup that accentuates the carrot flavor; they also impart a wonderful, creamy texture. If you do not care for the taste of parsnips you can substitute a medium Russet potato, or for more color, I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes. The parsnips or potatoes thicken the soup. Celery root also bears exploration in this recipe.

Variation #1: 1/4 cup of peeled and chopped fresh ginger may be added when sautéing the onions.

Variation #2: Since I have a juicer, I love to add about 1 cup of freshly made carrot juice after the soup has been pureed and bring the soup just to a boil. This dramatically increased the orange color of the soup and really pops it with a fresh carrot flavor. You may have to adjust the seasonings when adding the juice.

Note from Brian: The photos were of a quadruple batch of soup, and I did not add the fresh carrot juice.