Spring Vegetable Soup with Charred Croutons
By Sasha MarxPublished on May 4, 2017
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
5 ounces rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1½-inch pieces10 cups plus 8 cups water, divided4 cups ice 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided¼ teaspoon baking soda 2 cups fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped1 small leek, white and light green parts sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds and washed thoroughly; top sliced thin and washed thoroughly1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces; fronds chopped coarse¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided1½ teaspoons pepper 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds4 cups vegetable broth 4 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds4 ounces snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Before You Begin
This soup is all about the vegetables, so use the best produce you can find. If you have a good local green market, use it.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange bread in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, spacing pieces at least ½ inch apart, and transfer to oven. Broil until bread is charred on top, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip bread pieces and continue to broil until bottom is charred, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
- Bring 10 cups water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Meanwhile, set up ice bath by combining 8 cups water and ice in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon salt, baking soda, parsley leaves, leek top, and fennel fronds to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain blanched tops and parsley in fine mesh strainer or colander and immediately transfer, still in strainer, to ice bath. (Keeping the tops and parsley in the strainer or colander makes retrieving them from the ice bath much easier.)
- Transfer 1 cup ice and 1 cup water to blender. Remove blanched tops and parsley from ice bath, squeeze out excess water, and transfer to blender. Process on high speed until fairly smooth, about 1 minute. Stop blender and scrape down sides of blender jar with rubber spatula. With blender running on high speed, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup oil. Continue to process until mixture is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds longer. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, transfer puree to small bowl, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil and pepper in Dutch oven over medium-low heat until pepper begins to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add leek and garlic and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. Add carrots and fennel and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened at edges, about 3 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to simmer, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer until carrots and fennel are slightly tender but still firm, about 3 minutes.
- Add asparagus, snap peas, vinegar, and green puree to soup and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide soup and charred croutons among warmed shallow bowls, arranging croutons in single layer in soup (croutons should not be completely submerged in soup, so they remain crunchy on top side). Serve immediately.
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
5 ounces rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1½-inch pieces
10 cups plus 8 cups water, divided
4 cups ice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 small leek, white and light green parts sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds and washed thoroughly; top sliced thin and washed thoroughly
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces; fronds chopped coarse
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1½ teaspoons pepper
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
4 cups vegetable broth
4 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds
4 ounces snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Ingredients
5 ounces rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1½-inch pieces
10 cups plus 8 cups water, divided
4 cups ice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 small leek, white and light green parts sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds and washed thoroughly; top sliced thin and washed thoroughly
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces; fronds chopped coarse
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1½ teaspoons pepper
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
4 cups vegetable broth
4 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds
4 ounces snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Ingredients
5 ounces rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1½-inch pieces
10 cups plus 8 cups water, divided
4 cups ice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 small leek, white and light green parts sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds and washed thoroughly; top sliced thin and washed thoroughly
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces; fronds chopped coarse
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1½ teaspoons pepper
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
4 cups vegetable broth
4 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds
4 ounces snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Why This Recipe Works
The arrival of spring means green vegetables are back. And that calls for a celebration or, at the very least, a very good soup. Pureed vegetable soups can be great, but we wanted a recipe that shows off both the bright flavors and crisp textures of the season’s bounty. We based this soup on French barigoule, a vegetable broth fortified with white wine and lots of olive oil, commonly used as a poaching liquid for artichokes. Here, we ditch the artichokes (prepping artichokes is a lot of work, and canned artichokes should be banned), and make the vegetables in the barigoule the star of the show. All vegetables don’t cook at the same rate. To make sure that none of them overcook in the soup, we add them in stages. What makes this soup a showstopper, though, is its incredibly vibrant green color. We save the fibrous leek tops and fennel fronds from the compost bucket and blanch them with fresh parsley in boiling water spiked with a little baking soda. The soda raises the pH of the water so the greens soften faster. And faster blanching means less bright green chlorophyll is destroyed. After a quick shock in ice water we blend the greens with just water, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and stir the puree into the pot right before serving. The soup is finished with charred croutons that soak up the brothy goodness and provide delicious carb crunch. Pop a bottle of rosé and give spring vegetables their due with this (vegan!) soup.
Before You Begin
This soup is all about the vegetables, so use the best produce you can find. If you have a good local green market, use it.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange bread in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, spacing pieces at least ½ inch apart, and transfer to oven. Broil until bread is charred on top, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip bread pieces and continue to broil until bottom is charred, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
- Bring 10 cups water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Meanwhile, set up ice bath by combining 8 cups water and ice in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon salt, baking soda, parsley leaves, leek top, and fennel fronds to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain blanched tops and parsley in fine mesh strainer or colander and immediately transfer, still in strainer, to ice bath. (Keeping the tops and parsley in the strainer or colander makes retrieving them from the ice bath much easier.)
- Transfer 1 cup ice and 1 cup water to blender. Remove blanched tops and parsley from ice bath, squeeze out excess water, and transfer to blender. Process on high speed until fairly smooth, about 1 minute. Stop blender and scrape down sides of blender jar with rubber spatula. With blender running on high speed, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup oil. Continue to process until mixture is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds longer. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, transfer puree to small bowl, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil and pepper in Dutch oven over medium-low heat until pepper begins to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add leek and garlic and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. Add carrots and fennel and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened at edges, about 3 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to simmer, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer until carrots and fennel are slightly tender but still firm, about 3 minutes.
- Add asparagus, snap peas, vinegar, and green puree to soup and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide soup and charred croutons among warmed shallow bowls, arranging croutons in single layer in soup (croutons should not be completely submerged in soup, so they remain crunchy on top side). Serve immediately.
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