Parsnip and pancetta chowder with crispy leeks

A creamy bowl of chowder is one of the great comforts of a home kitchen, and this one gets its body from the vegetables themselves. Blend half the pot and the parsnips turn silky on their own, no cream, no potato, no flour needed. For a body working toward Remission, a warm, thick, savory bowl like this is exactly the kind of meal that makes the whole practice sustainable.

Parsnips bring fiber that feeds the gut bacteria your immune resilience leans on, along with potassium and vitamin C, involved in collagen formation and immune function. Built on bone broth, the chowder is also a source of collagen and amino acids that support the gut lining, and leeks and onion add prebiotic fiber, the kind of food your beneficial microbes actually eat.

There is a slowness to chowder worth keeping. You brown the leeks, soften the vegetables, let it simmer, blend, and stir it back together. A bowl made this way, held in your hands on a cold evening, is its own small act of presence at the table. Eat it without rushing.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 4 oz diced pancetta (clean-label; or substitute prosciutto)
• 2 cups chopped leek whites
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1.5 lb parsnips, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
• 28 oz beef or chicken bone broth, plus more for thinning
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Smoked sea salt and chopped parsley, to serve

All ingredients are AIP Core compliant as written. No swaps needed. Prosciutto works in place of pancetta if that is what you have.

Method

• Heat half the olive oil in a large pot over medium. Brown the leeks, then add the pancetta and garlic and cook until the leeks wilt. Scoop this mixture out and set it aside.
• Add the remaining oil to the same pot and soften the celery and onion. Stir in the parsnips, bay leaf, thyme, and smoked salt, and cook 5 to 6 minutes.
• Pour in the bone broth, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 5 to 6 minutes until the parsnips are just tender. Scoop out 2 cups of the chunky vegetables and reserve them.
• Blend the rest of the pot until smooth, bay leaf included. Return the puree to the pot, then stir the reserved vegetables, the leek-pancetta mixture, and the lemon juice back in. Thin with extra broth to the texture you want.
• Serve topped with a little reserved crispy leek-pancetta, a pinch of smoked salt, and parsley.

Instant Pot variation

Use the Saute function for steps 1 and 2: brown the leeks, pancetta, and garlic, set aside, then soften the celery and onion and add the parsnips, bay, thyme, and salt. Pour in the broth, seal, and pressure cook on high for about 6 minutes with a quick release (untested timing, verify). Reserve 2 cups of vegetables, blend the rest, return everything to the pot, and stir in the leek-pancetta mixture and lemon juice.

*Adapted from grazed-and-enthused*