Harlequin Soup (Michael Chiarello) Recipe

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Harlequin Soup (Michael Chiarello)
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Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. To serve the Harlequin Soup:
  2. Ladle some of each soup into its own pitcher. Pour both soups simultaneously into each of 6 bowls, creating a swirled almost yin-yang like appearance.
  3. Garnish with chives and serve hot.
  4. Very Green Broccoli Soup:
  5. Cut the broccoli florets from the stems. Peel the tough outer skin from the stems and trim off the fibrous ends. Cut the stems lengthwise into slices about 1/2-inch thick and then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
  6. Heat the olive oil and butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and cook until light brown. Add the onion and celery, lower the heat to medium, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables slowly until tender, about 10 minutes. Regulate the heat so the vegetables cook without taking on color.
  7. Add the thyme and stir. Add the broccoli stems, stock, and salt and pepper, to taste, and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for about 3 minutes. Add the florets and continue to cook until very tender, about 5 minutes more.
  8. Puree the soup in a blender in small batches. Add some of the spinach and some of the lemon zest to each batch and then puree it. (The soup can be made to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.)
  9. Return the soup to the pan and reheat over gentle heat. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
  10. Chef's Note: When I plan on finishing a dish with the addition of a dairy product, as I do here with cream, I often add a dairy product early in the cooking, too, as I do with the butter in the initial cooking of the vegetables. It melds the flavors.
  11. Yield: 4 to 6 servings
  12. For the soup:
  13. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  14. 1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion
  15. 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced celery
  16. 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced carrot
  17. 1 cinnamon stick
  18. Sea salt, preferably gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
  19. About 4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
  20. 1/2 teaspoon ground toasted coriander, optional
  21. 1 1/2 cups Roasted Winter Squash recipe
  22. 1/2 cup half-and-half, optional
  23. To serve:
  24. 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, optional
  25. 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds, optional
  26. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and cinnamon stick and saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  27. Add the chicken stock and the coriander, if using, and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in the squash until smooth, then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.
  28. Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)
  29. Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Add the half-and-half, if using. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm until service.
  30. To serve:
  31. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish evenly, with the cheese and pumpkin seeds, if desired.
  32. Roasted Winter Squash:
  33. About 3 pounds butternut squash (preferably 1 large squash)
  34. Gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
  35. 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  36. 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
  37. 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  38. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  39. 1/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses
  40. 2 teaspoons Toasted Spice Rub, recipe follows
  41. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, discard the seeds, then cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
  42. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and immediately add the sage, sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), molasses and toasted spice rub. Mix well and let simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.
  43. Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed baking sheet or baking dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are runny.
  44. Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the warm squash and all the cooking liquids to a food processor and process until smooth. Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
  45. Serving suggestions: Serve the puree on its own as a side dish for roast chicken, turkey, or pork; stir into polenta just before the end of cooking; use as a stuffing for ravioli; make into a soup; or use to flavor pastina. Or omit the sage, season with ground cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg to taste, and use as a substitute for canned pumpkin in your favorite pumpkin pie recipe.
  46. Variation for Smoky Butternut Squash: Cook the prepared squash on a baking sheet in a covered grill with soaked chips to give a slightly smoky taste. Substitute in any of the recipes that call for roasted squash. If cooking kabocha, acorn, or other difficult-to-peel squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and rub the insides and cut edges with the vinegar/molasses mixture. Place on a baking sheet, cut sides up, and roast at 400 degrees F until tender. Scoop out and puree.
  47. Yield: about 2 cups puree
  48. Toasted Spice Rub:
  49. 1/4 cup fennel seeds
  50. 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  51. 1 tablespoon peppercorns
  52. 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  53. 1/4 cup (1-ounce) pure California chili powder
  54. 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  55. 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  56. Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. When the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool.
  57. Put mixture into a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.
  58. Chef's notes: Toasting freshens spices, releases their oils, and makes them more fragrant, as well as adding a new dimension of flavor.
  59. Taste your chili powder before adding and, if spicy and hot, cut back the amount. California chilies are almost sweet, not hot.
  60. Yield: about 1 cup
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Nutrition Facts

Per ServingPer 100 g
Amount Per 1 Serving
Calories 222.29 Kcal (931 kJ)
Calories from fat 116.72 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12.97g 20%
Cholesterol 29.47mg 10%
Sodium 419.78mg 17%
Potassium 983.64mg 21%
Total Carbs 19.11g 6%
Sugars 5.65g 23%
Dietary Fiber 4.98g 20%
Protein 10.54g 21%
Vitamin C 102mg 170%
Iron 3.5mg 19%
Calcium 154.4mg 15%
Amount Per 100 g
Calories 58.98 Kcal (247 kJ)
Calories from fat 30.97 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3.44g 20%
Cholesterol 7.82mg 10%
Sodium 111.37mg 17%
Potassium 260.97mg 21%
Total Carbs 5.07g 6%
Sugars 1.5g 23%
Dietary Fiber 1.32g 20%
Protein 2.8g 21%
Vitamin C 27.1mg 170%
Iron 0.9mg 19%
Calcium 41mg 15%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Find out how many calories should you eat.

Tastes

  • salty
  • savory
  • bitter
  • sweet
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Recipe Tags

Weightwatchers Points

  • 4.7
    Points
  • 6
    PointsPlus

Good Points

  • saturated fat free,
  • low sodium,
  • low cholesterol

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