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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 60 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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About once a week I like to clean out my fridge and cook up some dish with whatever is lurking in the vegetable bin. This soup is an example of a happy and delicious combination of flavors. I know it's a lot of ingredients, but it's well worth the effort. You may wish to serve this soup the next day as it improve in taste with time. Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter |
1 tablespoon olive oil |
3 cloves garlic, chopped |
2 shallots, chopped |
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, minced |
3 green onions, chopped |
1/3 small head cauliflower, chopped |
1 small parsnip, chopped |
10 small button mushrooms, chopped |
1 pear - peeled, cored and diced |
1/2 cup cannellini beans |
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard |
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill |
3/4 cup chardonnay wine |
6 sprigs fresh thyme |
1 (14.5 ounce) can fat-free chicken broth |
1/3 cup heavy cream |
salt and pepper to taste |
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth (optional) |
Directions:
1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the garlic, shallots, and ginger, and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, cauliflower, parsnip, and mushrooms, and cook and stir an additional 5 minutes. Add the pear, beans, mustard, and dill, and stir just until heated, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in the wine and thyme, and turn up the heat to high. Boil, stirring constantly, until the wine is reduced by half and is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool slightly.
3. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
4. Stir in cream, and, if needed, thin with additional chicken broth; serve hot. You may wish to serve this soup the next day. It will improve in taste with time.
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