Friday, May 1, 2009

Thursday

Frozen vegetable soup with lemon chive cream (recipe in the comments)
Sauteed grape tomatoes with garlic

Hot tea
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I cut a recipe for brocolli soup with lemon chive cream out quite a while ago and it seemed very spring-y. When we planned to make it last week thoguh, I wasn't sure if this was going to be different enough than the fresh garlic broccoli soup we made back in March to make it worth having a second recipe in the repertoire. BUT we were pretty excited about the lemon chive cream, so we decided to try it. Thankfully, fate conspired to make sure this was different enough to be a repeat performer. When I opened the bag our broccoli was in to begin chopping it, I discovered it was completely infested with little tiny mites. Ahh, the occasional joys of organic produce :) Thankfully we had an equivalent volume of frozen mixed vegetables (Zucchini, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and onion) and so we punted with that. The result is so incredible that we have a new recipe! This is easy, unusual, and incredibly yummy. Enjoy!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Leeks, garlic, lemon zest, scallions, Parmesan
Time: 30 minutes (most of which is rice cooking time)
Make ahead: This was excellent for lunch the next day

Reaction
J: "I can't believe this is made with frozen veggies!"
M: "Serendipity in the frozen food aisle"

1 comment:

J said...

Frozen Vegetable Soup with Lemon Chive Cream – M & J (inspired by 6 o’clock scramble)
“This cannot be this good!” – 04/09
Serves 3-4

1 T olive oil
2 medium leeks, chopped white and tender green part only, rinsed well
1 ½ lbs frozen mixed vegetables (Zucchini, carrot, onion, broccoli, and cauliflower or the like) or 1 lb mixed vegetables and ½ lb frozen broccoli, rinsed with warm water to partially defrost
3 garlic cloves, sliced
5 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup light sour cream
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 T lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
⅓ cup snipped chives or scallions (about 2 scallions), green parts only
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until they are soft. Stir in the vegetables, garlic, broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, partially cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, mix sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, chives, and Parmesan in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Immersion blend the soup until uniformly smooth. Stir in the lemon chive cream. Taste for seasoning.