Simple to prepare and tastes like a million bucks – this soup has it all. Perfect first course on a cold winter night or when hosting guests who are vegetarians.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
- 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 3 leeks, white and light green parts chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp dry vermouth (optional)
- 32 ounce container vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
Directions:
- In a heavy saucepan, sauté the onion, celery and leek in the oil for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 2 additional minutes – vegetables should be soft a lightly browned.
- Add the vermouth and the vegetable broth and simmer partially covered for 45 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Add the cream and warm for 2 minutes.
- Working in 2 batches, add the soup to a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. ***Be sure to remove the small venting cap from the blender to allow steam to come out and place a kitchen towel to cover the opening. Return the pureed soup to a clean saucepan and gently heat for 2 minutes.
- To serve, ladle soup into bowls.
Serves 6 as a starter or 4 as a main course.
Note: Dress the soup with a light drizzle of heavy cream for an elegant touch.
It is not very often that my husband says that he really, really likes something, but he really, really likes this soup. The only changes I made were lightening the cream, adding a bunch more pepper and topping with sliced scallions. Thanks for the recipe!