Winter Vegetable Soup With Coconut Milk & Pear - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups onions, thinly sliced
1 cup carrot, medium-diced
1 cup parsnip, medium-diced
1 cup turnip, medium-diced
1 cup parsley roots or 1 cup celery root, medium-diced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped (inner stalks with leaves)
1 cup savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leave (more leaves lightly chopped for garnish)
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
coconut milk (do not shake)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (more as needed)
3 1/2 cups butternut squash, 1/2-inch-diced (from a 2-lb. squash)
1 1/4 cups bosc pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 medium firm-ripe pears)

Preparation

Melt the butter in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrot, parsnip, turnip, parsley or celery root, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cabbage, ginger, thyme, garlic, 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoons pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
Scoop 1/4 cup of coconut cream from the top of the can and set it aside in a small bowl at room temperature. Add the remaining coconut milk, broth, and the squash and pears to the vegetables. Bring the mixture just to a boil over medium heat, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook at a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very soft, 20 minutes.
Puree with an immersion blender in the Dutch oven or in batches in a regular blender. Pour the soup through a large coarse strainer set over a large glass measure or bowl. If the soup is too thick, add more chicken broth until thinned to your liking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If necessary, reheat the soup in a clean pot. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with the reserved coconut cream, and sprinkle with the lightly chopped thyme.