ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP

From Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style


1 lb carrots, peeled
1 lb parsnips, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash (about 2 lbs), peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato and butternut squash in 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes.  All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small.

Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans.  Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Toss well.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.  Sprinkle with parsley and season to taste.

In a large saucepan, heat 6 cups of chicken stock.  In two batches, coarsely puree the roasted vegetables and the chicken stock in the bowl of a food processor or blender.  Pour the soup back into the pot and season to taste.  Thin with more chicken stock and reheat.  The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until it's the consistency you like.

Serve with croutons and a drizzle of good olive oil.  YIELD:  6 to 8 servings