Before this week, I had only encountered artichokes in the form of dip for chips and such. The thorny little buds didn’t seem very user friendly, but I recently saw a food show that made me forget my intimidation. One segment on the show focused on a restaurant that made the best artichoke soup around. After hearing all of the customers rave about how wonderful this artichoke soup was, I knew that I had to have some for myself.
I didn’t have a recipe, so I started with a pared down version of a base that I use in many of the pureed soups that I make. I roasted the artichokes for added flavor, and I used a bit of chicken broth powder to give more depth to the flavor to the soup. Actually, once you get past the processing of the artichokes, this is a very simple, tasty soup to make.
Yes, I got poked by artichoke thorns a couple of times, and yes, I thought that I had ruined the artichokes after I roasted them because they turned dark brown on the outside, but I kept going. And, after all was said and done, I was left with a rich, silky smooth soup that made me glad that I had embarked on the adventure. So, don’t be afraid of artichokes because, if you can get past their pokey exteriors, you will be greatly rewarded for your efforts.
Ingredients
1 dozen baby artichokes
juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. powdered chicken bouillon (or 1 small chicken bouillon cube)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. white pepper
Directions
1. Prep and roast the artichokes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. With a knife, cut off the top 1/4 of each artichoke to remove most of the thorny ends, and trim the dark stem ends. Peel off the outer, dark layers of leaves until you start to see softer, yellow leaves. If you see any remaining thorn ends, trim them. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the outer, fibrous layer of the stem. Cut the artichokes into quarters and place on the parchment lined pan. Note: Since this recipe uses baby artichokes, I didn’t bother scraping out what tiny bit of choke there was, but you can do so with a spoon after you cut the artichokes if the choke is further developed. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt until evenly coated. Rearrange the artichokes until they form a single layer on the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter and add the diced onion and garlic. Cook on low medium heat until onions are translucent, about 10-15 minutes. Add artichokes, chicken broth, and chicken bouillon. Raise to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add heavy cream and pepper and stir until blended.
3. Turn off the heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender (or regular blender). After thoroughly pureed, strain the soup through a sieve into a large bowl. Serve warm.
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