14
HOT AND COLD SOUPSCreamy Tomato & Red Pepp er Bisque
Makes 8 ser vings
Preparation : 15 minutes active, 3 5–40 mi nutes tota l
1 teaspoon unsalt ed butter
1 teaspoon extra v irgin olive oi l
1 small onion (4 o unces), peel ed, cut into ½ -inch pieces
1 rib celery (2 ounces), cl eaned, cut in to ½-inch piec es
1 carrot (2 ounc es), peeled, cut into ½-inc h pieces
1 tablespoon whi te rice
1 teaspoon basil
2 cups fat-free, low-s odium chicken o r vegetable st ock
2 cans (15½-ounce) recipe-ready diced tomatoes with juices
2 roasted red pep pers, seeded
½ teas poon kosher sal t
1⁄8 teaspo on white pepp er
½ cup h alf-and-half
Heat the bu tter and olive oil i n a 3¾-qua rt sauce pan over m edium low
heat. Add th e onion, celery, an d carrot, cover loos ely and c ook until the
vegetables are tende r, 8–10 minutes . Stir in the rice and basil , and coo k
until rice is opaque, 2 minutes . Stir in the stock and tomato es. Raise
heat and br ing to a b oil. Lower the heat, cover loos ely and s immer over
low heat for 20–25 mi nutes. Turn off heat and let s tand for 5 minutes.
Strain the solids fro m the coo king liqui d, reser ving the c ooking li quid
and returni ng it to t he saucepa n. Place t he solids in the bl ender jar.
Add roasted peppers and 1 cup of the co oking liqu id to the blender j ar.
Select Puré e. Pulse 10 times to chop, then process for 30– 40 second s
until totall y smooth a nd creamy. Add the sa lt, peppe r, blend 5 seconds
longer. Retur n the ble nded tomato mixture to the coo king liqui d in the
saucepan. H eat on me dium until it just begins to simmer; t hen add th e
half-and-ha lf. Do not allow to b oil. The s oup may be made ahe ad and
reheated – if making ahead, do not add h alf-and-h alf until it is
reheated.
Nutritional informa tion per ser ving:
Calories 87 (28 % fro m fat) • carb. 13g • pro. 3g • fat 3g
• sat. fat 1g • chol. 7mg • s od. 367mg • calc. 47mg • fiber 3g
Cream of Asparag us Soup
Makes eight 6-ounce servings
Preparation time: 30 –35 mi nutes
¾ cup I talian parsl ey leaves,
washed and drie d
3 tablespoons un salted butter
2⁄3 cup ch opped onion or leek
1 pound asparagu s, trimmed, c ut into 1-inch pi eces
3 cups fat-free, low-s odium chicken o r vegetable st ock
or broth
1 cup half-and-hal f
1 tablespoon corn starch
1½ cups cold water
1 teaspoon kosher s alt
½ teas poon white pep per
Place the pa rsley in the blend er jar. Plac e cover on blender jar. Select
Chop and pu lse until coarsely chopped, about 4– 5 times. Remove an d
reserve.
Melt the bu tter in m edium sau cepan over medium he at. Add on ion and
cook until soft but not brown, about 2– 3 minutes. Add aspa ragus,
stock, and all but 1 tablespo on of the reserved parsley. Cover and
bring to a b oil over m edium-hig h heat. Re duce heat to low an d simmer,
partially covered, u ntil aspar agus is te nder, abou t 10–12 minute s.
Pour the sou p through a straine r, reservi ng the so lids and l iquids. A llow
to cool 5 mi nutes. Pla ce the so lids in th e blender jar with 1 cup of t he
cooking liq uid; retu rn the rem aining li quid to the saucepan . Cover
blender ja r and sele ct Purée. Blend un til creamy and smoo th, about
25–30 sec onds. Turn b lender of f. Retur n puréed vegetable mixture t o
the saucepa n and sti r to combi ne. Stir i n half-and -half. Sti r cornsta rch
into water, and add to so up. Add salt and p epper. Coo k, stirrin g often,
over medium heat, unti l soup thi ckens, ab out 6–8 minutes. Do not al low
to boil. Taste and adjus t seasoni ngs as ne eded. Ser ve in war med bowls
garnished with the r emaining p arsley.
Nutritional informa tion per ser ving:
Calories 98 (59% from fat) • car b. 7g • pro. 4g • fat 7g
• sat. fat 4g • chol. 19m g • sod. 510g • calc. 56 mg • fiber 2g