Peppery Artichoke Soup
Artichokes are a breath of fresh soup when you’re not in the mood for broccoli, mushroom, or tomato. A healthy dose of spicy cracked black pepper is an appropriate punch-in-the-face compliment to the bright and acidic artichoke hearts. And if you don’t like lots of pepper, then you’ll have yourself some still very delicious, yet not-so-peppery, artichoke soup.
Here’s my recipe:
Peppery Artichoke Soup
serves 4-6
2 Vidalia onions (or yellow if they don’t have sweet), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil (or butter if you like it extra rich)
1 bay leaf
1 quart chicken or veggie stock
1+ cups water
1 cup milk/cream (optional)
2 15 oz. cans artichoke hearts, with juices
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
salt and freshly cracked pepper
This is really easy. Situate your dutch oven or favorite soup pot over medium-high heat. Wide and somewhat shallow is best. Start by sauteeing the onions and bay leaf in the olive oil until soft, about 8 mins. Keep the stuff moving. Add the garlic and sautee another minute or so. If you scorch anything you have to start over or your soup will taste weird.
Add artichoke hearts and their juices and bring up to a boil. Add stock and water and bring back to a boil. Add a little more water if you find the broth too rich. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 45 mins.
Now blend the hell out of the soup with an immersion blender. I like my soup really smooth and creamy, but I’ve also made it somewhat chunky and that’s tasty too. Whatever mood you’re in…go for it. Now stir in milk or cream if you want. Taste the broth for saltiness and salt as needed. Stir in parmesan until it dissolves.
Now you can add the finishing touch with a generous sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper! P.S. This is a really really good soup to dip bread in.