Savory Thick Greens Soup Food

BRIGHT GREEN SOUP WITH QUICK HOMEMADE GARLIC-CHILI OIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (This pot will be used to cook the kale and broccoli.) Prepare a large bowl of ice water fitted with a fine mesh strainer.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a second large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Add the broccoli florets to the pot of boiling water and cook until crisp but still bright green, about 3 minutes. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and plunge them into the bowl of ice water. Drain when fully cooled, about 1 minute.
• Stir the broccoli into the onion-and-celery mixture. Toss in the bay leaf and cover the vegetables with the broth. Cook over medium heat until the broccoli is tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the kale to the pot of boiling water, pushing the kale down with tongs to make sure it is fully submerged, and cook until crisp but still bright green, for 30 seconds. Remove with tongs and plunge the kale into the bowl of ice water. Drain and squeeze out excess water when fully cooled, about 1 minute. Set aside.
• Make the garlic-chili oil. Heat the remaining 1 cup olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Pour the garlic-chili oil into a small bowl.
• Wipe out the small saucepan. Cook the creme fraiche and 1 tablespoon finely ground pink peppercorns in the small saucepan over low heat until the creme fraiche just melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then pour it into a squeeze bottle and set aside.
• Remove the pot of soup from the heat. Discard the bay leaf and add the blanched kale. Allow the soup to cool for 5 minutes. Work in batches, transferring the soup to a high-speed or stand blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).
• Add the apple cider vinegar and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Squeeze a swirl of the pink creme fraiche on top. Drizzle with the garlic-chili oil and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon finely ground pink peppercorns. Enjoy!

REDEEMING GREEN SOUP WITH LEMON AND CAYENNE

Steps:

• First prepare the greens: Remove the ribs from the chard/kale and discard or save them for another recipe. Coarsely chop or tear the kale leaves. Trim any tough stems from the spinach/baby greens and roughly chop the leaves.
• Caramelize the onions: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover the skillet (I used a baking sheet to cover mine). Cook until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir frequently while the pan is still hot and occasionally once the pan has cooled down (always recover the pan after stirring).
• Cook the arborio rice: While the onions are cooking, combine the remaining 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add rice and bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
• When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard greens or kale. Return to a simmer; cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them. Then add the onion mixture to the rice along with the spinach, vegetable broth and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.
• Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth, or in a regular blender in batches (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and be careful with hot soup). Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, sea salt or cayenne pepper, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Divide the soup into bowls if you're serving it as a bisque, or serve in bowls over cooked rice and chickpeas for a more complete meal. Garnish soup with a swirl of olive oil if you'd like. Serve with lemon wedges and freshly ground black pepper on the side.

BASIC GREEN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard (save for another use, such as to add to a stir-fry or other soup). Coarsely chop the chard greens and spinach.
• When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook for 10 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the rice along with the spinach, broth and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.
• Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in batches (return it to the pot). Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil.