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09/28/2017 12:01 AMThe last time I moved—although I had gotten rid of four rooms of furniture, 400 to 500 books, and multiple outdoor living necessities—I somehow wound up with around 10 cases of liquor and wine.
This is particularly odd since I don’t drink any liquor, other than maybe a Bailey’s coffee when I’m eating dinner out and the weather is stormy or just plain cold. As for wine, my husband and I would buy around three cases of wine around the holidays. We would take bottles when we were invited to people’s homes and we, of course, served wine when we entertained at home. I have yet to pour myself a glass of wine at home; I guess I don’t think about it.
But I do cook with wine and liquor and even beer if the recipe calls for it, and I have good beer in the refrigerator for friends. I have bottles of Grand Marnier, Sambuca, Harvey’s Bristol Cream, a few bottles of good brandy, some Ricard, and three different kinds of rum. But no one ever asks for glasses of Marsala or Madeira or sherry.
Still, I absolutely love cooking with all these liquors. My mother, who wasn’t much of a cook, would add a pinch of sugar to anything acidic or sour, and salt to anything very sweet. Marsala and Madeira are similar, in a way, adding a little something that would have been missing without it. Recently I was reading one of my food magazines (I think it was Fine Cooking) and saw a four-page, full-color advertisement for All-Clad Metalcrafters LLC. I usually rip these out and toss them, but this ad included four yummy recipes, one of which was for a parsnip soup that called for Madeira. It is phenomenal and is now one of my favorites.
Spiced Parsnip Soup
Fine Cooking
Yield: serves 4
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
½ cup Madeira
6 cups lower-salt chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarians)
1 bay leaf
2 pounds parsnips, peeled, cored, and cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon curry powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup heavy cream
Small Thai basil leaves and buds (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil for serving (optional)
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until butter has melted. Add onions and cook until soft and brown in spots, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for another 15 seconds. Add Madeira and bring to a boil, continuing to cook until liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Add chicken broth, bay leaf, parsnips, cinnamon, nutmeg, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and cook until parsnips are very tender, about 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender or working in batches and transferring to a blender, blend until smooth. If using a blender, return soup to the pot. Bring to a low boil. Lower heat to medium, add heavy cream ,and heat through. Served garnished with basil and olive oil.