When most people think of a purée soup, creamy tomato or butternut bisque usually comes to mind. But have you ever tried blended lentil soup? Or how about cauliflower and leek bisque, or sweet potato and apple? It’s soup season, and nothing beats a cold, crisp afternoon with a hot mug of delicious to sip on.
The method for any vegetable bisque is quite simple:
Dice a medium-sized onion and 1-2 stalks of celery. Sauté them in a soup pot with olive oil, just until they become fragrant. Then add your main ingredient(s), and just enough stock or water to cover the vegetables. If you are also using lentils in your recipe, add them with the vegetables and add more water as needed to make sure the ingredients stay covered while cooking. Bring to a simmer and cook until everything becomes very soft.
My favorite tool for the next part is an immersion blender, simply because you can blend your soup in the same pot, instead of transferring it to a regular blender (and not potentially make a big mess like I have done in the past). Otherwise, make sure you allow the soup to cool a bit before blending it in batches.
Once the soup has been puréed, you can add cream, coconut milk or other non-dairy alternative, or simply leave it plain.
I like to simmer my vegetables with a lot of butter so that when you blend it, the butter lends a very smooth texture and incredibly rich flavor. I usually season it afterwards (while still hot) with seasonings like nutmeg, paprika, or herbs. A squeeze of lemon or splash of wine will brighten it up if need be.
It’s fun to get creative with what is on hand or in-season. Some flavor combinations to try:
-Sweet potato and apple with rosemary
-Roasted bell pepper and fennel
-Cauliflower, leek and potato
-Coconut curry butternut
-Cheesy broccoli
-Spicy tomato and red lentil purée
-Ginger beet and carrot
-Cauliflower beer cheese
-Zucchini, mushroom and herbs