Creamy Artichoke Soup With Parmesan Skins Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute the celery, onion and carrot in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, thyme, salt and pepper until blended; gradually add broth. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened., Reduce heat; whisk in the cream, cheese, artichokes and tomatoes. Bring to a gentle boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes or until flavors are blended. Discard bay leaves.

Steps:

• Half-fill a large bowl with water and add the lemon juice. Peel the artichokes, then toss the peelings with the vegetable oil in a bowl and set aside. Chop the artichokes into rough chunks and submerge them in the lemony water.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan, and add the onion, potato, and seasoning. Drain the artichokes and stir them in. Cover the pan and sweat gently for 15 mins, stirring now and again.
• Pour in the stock, cover and simmer for 10-15 mins until the vegetables are completely tender. Whizz the soup in a blender or with a stick blender until very smooth, return to the pan, then add the cream and season to taste.
• Meanwhile, prepare the skins. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment (not foil, they will stick). Scatter the skins over, and roast for 10 mins. Turn them over, scatter with the Parmesan and rosemary and roast for 5 mins more or until crisp and dry, then season with a pinch of flaky salt and pepper. Serve the soup in bowls, add a swirl more cream (if you like) and top with the crisp skins.

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts, season with salt and pepper and saute another 5 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree until smooth with a hand blender or in a blender in small batches. Whisk in 3/4 cup yogurt and season with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, stir together the pesto sauce and lemon juice. Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with about 1 tablespoon yogurt and drizzle with the thinned pesto sauce.

Steps:

• Chop the carrot, celery and onion into almost a purée in a food processor. Set aside.
• Drain the artichoke hearts and reserve the liquid. Place the artichoke hearts in the food processor and purée, using some of the liquid if necessary to facilitate puréeing. Set aside.
• Heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the puréed carrot, celery and onion and cook on high heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly because they can burn easily. Add the puréed artichoke hearts and their liquid and 4 cups water. Bring the soup to a boil on high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan!
• Mix the cornstarch with 1 cup warm water in a small bowl, using your hands to make sure the cornstarch is fully dissolved, then add the mixture to the soup and bring it back to boil. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a bit more water; if it is too thin, add a bit more cornstarch mixed with water. Don't overdo it, because a bit of cornstarch goes a long way.
• Add the cream to the soup and stir, then remove the pot from the stove. Add the grated cheese to the soup a bit at the time, using a whisk to work it into the soup so that it doesn't form large clumps. Add 1 tablespoon salt, then taste the soup and, if you think it is necessary, add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

Steps:

• Up to a month before, put all the soup ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, covered, for about 20-30 mins or until the artichokes and potatoes have become very tender. Liquidise the soup in batches until completely smooth. If you want to thin it, add more stock. Pour the soup into a rigid plastic container and leave to cool before covering and freezing.
• The day before serving, transfer the soup to the fridge to defrost overnight.
• On the day, heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Heat the soup and check the seasoning. While the soup is warming, put the grissini sticks on a baking tray. Scatter them with 1 tbsp of the Parmesan and put in the oven until warm and the cheese has melted, about 8-10 mins.
• Meanwhile, pour the cream into a small pan and simmer to reduce by a third. Stir in remaining Parmesan and let it melt. (For a little extra body, add a tbsp or two of soup.) Stir in 1-2 tbsp milk to cool it down, then blitz with a stick blender, if you like, for a frothy finish. (To avoid any splashes, transfer the cream to a larger pan or deep bowl to do this.) Ladle the soup between soup bowls, topping each with the warmed cream and a sprinkling of chives if using. Serve with the warm grissini sticks.