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It is pleasant, when one has had many late nights and early mornings, and one has done a great deal of work, to have a quiet and unchallenging Saturday. It is also pleasant to punctuate this kind of Saturday with quiet and unchallenging foods. On this occasion, we wanted soup, and in that way that sometimes happens, the happy confluence of what we had in the refrigerator turned out to be very happy indeed.
Because there is no milk or cream, and not even any potato or other thickening agent, it is not rich. But it has plenty of body nonetheless, and is a lovely rosy color to boot. Since we will be wanting to make it again, and it is awkward to go around referring to "fennel-leek-carrot-red pepper (to say nothing of the onion and shallot) soup," we felt it needed a proper name. For now, we've decided to call it "Virgin Soup," because it is unadulterated and blushing.
You may call it whatever you like, but you should try it. It is both virtuous -- all those lovely vegetables -- and luscious, and how often does that happen? And you can even make it in the wet beginnings of March without either spending a mint on hothouse vegetables or feeling sorry for yourself and all those dismal tail ends of winter storage produce.
INGREDIENTS
half a pound of carrots
1 bulb of fennel
3 medium leeks
1 onion
1 shallot
olive oil
vegetable broth
salt, pepper
a few roasted red peppers from a jar
a couple of splashes of ponzu (I think sherry or a combination of some wine and some citrus would also do very nicely)
TO DO
First I took the whites and about an inch of the greens from the leeks, split them down the middle, and cut them into half circles. These went to soak in some cold water. Then I cut the fennel bulb in quarters and sliced it thinly. The onion and shallot were minced, the carrots peeled and sliced. By this time, the leeks were ready to be rinsed and drained.
I heated the oil in my soup pot over medium heat. In went the vegetables and a cup of broth, and on went the lid. This mixture stewed for twenty minutes with the occasional stir. When it was nicely stewed and shrunken, it was time to add another 4 cups of broth and the red peppers. I brought the soup to a boil and then turned it down and let it simmer, partially covered, for another 15 minutes.
Finally I pureed it, stirred in the ponzu, and adjusted the salt and pepper.
Comments
You are invited to check some relevant pages about- Tons of interesdting stuff!!!
Posted by at March 31, 2005 02:57 PMall breads | breakfast | dinner reports | drink | eating out | essays | etcetera | lunch | news | recipes | salads | snacks | soups | sweets | tips | travel | vegetables | weekly meals |
You are invited to check some relevant pages about- Tons of interesdting stuff!!!
Posted by at March 31, 2005 02:57 PM