Description
This light yet creamy artichoke soup is the perfect year-round soup-it takes advantage of canned artichoke hearts and some other pantry and refrigerator staples to make a warm, comforting vegetarian side dish!
Ingredients
Scale
- Olive oil, as needed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Two 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts in water, drained and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche
- 1 baguette, cut into small, bite-sized cubes
- Grilled artichoke hearts, for garnish, if desired
- Crème fraîche thinned with a little cream until drizzleable, if desired
- Finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add a little olive oil and the 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the chopped artichokes and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the dry white wine and allow the liquid to reduce for about 2 minutes, until almost no liquid remains. Stir in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the artichokes are meltingly tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender, cover with the lid and a dish towel covering the pour spout and blend for 1 to 2 minutes on high, until completely smooth. Return the mixture to the pot. You can strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve if you want to be sure the soup is smooth (or don’t have a high-powered blender), but that’s completely optional.
- Add the cream and crème fraîche and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the soup has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- In the meantime, preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the bread cubes and toast until golden and crisp. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve the soup with a drizzle of thinned crème fraîche, grilled artichoke hearts, if desired, toasted bread cubes, chives and lemon wedges.
Notes
Inspiration: Creamy Artichoke Soup on howsweeteats.com and Duarte’s Cream of Artichoke Soup on saveur.com
- Category: Soups/Stews, Vegetarian