Soups are a great way to get in your greens. This spring bisque is delicious and packed with nutrients and full of flavor.
I find eating seasonally, is not only more affordable, but the food just tastes better. Living in the Central Valley everything is almost always in season. But if you aren't sure what's in season you could just ask your produce manager at your local grocery store. This recipe could easily be done year round, by changing the ingredients to seasonal vegetables.
What I love about this recipe is that there isn't a lot of prep work, and it cooks very quickly. The vegetables not only maintain their beautiful flavor, but all of their nutrients. By over cooking your vegetables, it changes their texture and flavor, along with their nutritional value. This dish is done in like 20 minutes.
So start by rough chopping your vegetables. I mean just basic to break them down a bit in order to fit in your stock pot. Keep them all about the same size, so they will cook at the same time. Then drop them all in a large stock pot. I like to use Salt Free seasoning blends. You can find some interesting blends and flavor profiles, but then you can control the amount of salt that goes into your recipe. So for this I used an onion and herb blend because it was what I had on hand. So season with salt and pepper, seasoning blend and nutritional yeast. If you've never had nutritional yeast before, it is packed with vitamin B's and has sort of an earthy cheese flavor.
Next add the chicken stock. If you wanted this to be vegan, you could definitely use vegetable stock or water. The liquid should only come to about the shoulders of the vegetables. You do not want to completely cover them, you just want them to simmer gently. So over High heat bring the liquid up to a boil, cover it with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the vegetables for about 15 minutes, or until they are tender. They should still be bright green. Using an immersion blender, blend the vegetables into a smooth consistency. If you don't have an immersion blender, a regular blender or food processor would work too. Just be careful not to fill it to the top. Because the heat and steam needs a place to go. You don't want a literal, Hot Soupy Mess!
I serve this with a dollop of creme fraiche, sour cream or greek yogurt. What ever you have on hand is fine. Then garnish with a few thinly sliced scallions. In the summer you could serve this at room temperature, or even cold and it would still be delicious. This would also make a good appetizer or starter when entertaining. You could serve it in individual cups. Guests could easily hold it with one hand, and not have to worry about utensils. Get creative, the technique and cooking method is the same, just swap out the vegetables.
On this night, we happen to be having vegetable fritters as well. This recipe is available on my website too.
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