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Sometimes I do things just a bit backwards ... but you've probably already noticed this, if you're a regular here at The Café the process of creating this soup is the perfect example; I came up with the name before I actually came up with the recipe.
Our furnace went out last weekend. That wouldn't normally be such a big deal here in North Carolina as usually our climate is quite mild. But it just happened to be the coldest week of the season! Cold, brrrrrr ........... like in the 20's and 30's! (I know, all of you in the Northern climes here in the US are snickering at what puppies we are!) We had the furnace checked out and the repairman determined that it was the motor that was on the blink. Sadly, that particular motor was not in stock. It had to be ordered and they said they'd call as soon as it came in.
So for the past few days, we've had the gas fireplace burning non-stop and the oven on at all hours of the day and night, just to try to keep warm. This morning I was sitting near the fire writing a blog post and feeling quite chilled. I started thinking about how nice it would be to have a piping hot bowl of soup. Then I started thinking about making soup. For some reason, maybe it's the season (or maybe just my quirkiness), I decided it had to be a white soup, something that would be elegant enough to serve in small pretty bowls as an appetizer soup for a lovely holiday dinner. I also wanted it to be healthy and hearty enough to stand on it's own as a casual dinner or lunch soup. Winter White was the name I came up with; so then it was on to the market to see what I could find to go in my "white soup".
Onions, shallots, leeks, garlic, potatoes, cauliflower and turnips .............. they all greeted me in the produce section, ending up in my basket and .............. in my soup pot! I sautéed the onions and garlic, added chicken broth along with the remaining ingredients and simmered the mixture till tender and fragrant. A quick blend with an immersion blender and I was done. Except for the fun part ............... the taste test! I was quite pleased with the results, but realized I needed to tweak one thing just a bit; it was so velvety smooth that I knew I needed to change the name (drum roll please)............. Ta Da! It's proudly called Winter White Velvet Soup now.
So there you have it: my backwards soup (and my backwards self). The furnace man came this afternoon to replace the broken part, the house is warm once again, and now I have a lovely pot of soup stashed away for the busy days ahead!
Although we enjoyed this Winter White Velvet Soup this past evening for a delicious meal with warm pita bread, it would also make a lovely appetizer soup for a holiday meal. The garnish of crumbled Feta, finely diced red pepper and curly parsley is a delicious and festive finishing touch. I added a scatter of crumbled bacon for our dinner tonight for a touch of extra hardiness.
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- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 medium leeks
- 2 medium shallots quartered
- 6 medium cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth you may need a bit more for thinning
- 1 medium cauliflower broken into florets
- 2 medium potatoes roughly chopped
- 2 medium parsnips peeled and cut into 1 inch slices
- ½ cup Feta cheese plus extra for garnish
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon white pepper more to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
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Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or stock pot) over medium heat. Add onions, leeks, shallots and garlic. Reduce heat to medium low and sauté onion mixture until soft and slightly golden, about 15 minutes.
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Add chicken broth, cauliflower, potatoes, parsnips, salt and white pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a constant simmer and cover. Cook until all veggies are very tender, about 20-25 minutes.
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Add Feta and puree with an immersion blender* or regular blender until smooth and velvety. If soup is too thick add a bit more chicken broth to thin. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
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Ladle into bowls and garnish with a bit more Feta and a sprinkle of the diced red bell pepper and chopped parsley.
Dewena Callis says
This looks wonderful! It has lots of my favorite ingredients in it. And for it to be velvety on the tongue is an added bonus.
Liz Berg says
I hope you are all toasty warm by now! What bad timing 🙁
I love how your mind works...no wonder you create such unique amazing dishes! This is another winner!
Debra Eliotseats says
I hope you have heat now (either from the furnace of hope it has warmed up). We finally had a beautiful day today---58 degrees after over a week of frigid temps, snow, and cold, cold wind. I wish I had had some soup like this then.
Beth says
Thank goodness your furnace is fixed now. And I love the idea of creating a recipe to go with a title!
Pondside says
Oh my goodness but that looks like a treat!......especially on a cold, damp day.
lena says
the soup does live up to its name , it's white, smooth and am sure it 's very tasty! while you need to on the furnace to keep you warm, me here need to on the aircon most of the time and usually the weather here will get warmer and warmer approaching chinese new year next month.
Kitchen Riffs says
I've thought of recipe names, too, before I've thought about what should actually be in the recipe! Sorry about the lack of heat - 20s is cold no matter where you are. But this soup sure would warm one up! That second picture is fun - interesting to see the reflections on the pot's surface. Anyway, good stuff - thanks.
Elzbieta Hester says
I love white soups! This one looks just fine...velvety fine 🙂 ela
GLENDA CHILDERS says
I love the story of how this soup came about (minus the broken motor.) I think I should have asked for an immersion blender for Christmas. In our downsizing, I hesitate to get anything new ... but I think this would be worth it.
Merry Christmas, Chris. Enjoy your time across the pond.
Fondly,
Glenda
Cuisine de Provence says
A very elegant soup - beautiful!
Rashida Shaikh says
What a unique name, it sounds good
I loved your serving bowl. 😉
Alicia Foodycat says
The soup sounds and looks delicious, but I LOVE the shape of your bowl!
Martha says
What a festive looking bowl of comfort right there! Love the name as well!
Glad you are once more enjoying a cozy house again! and what a lovely reminder of the real reason and purpose of Christmas, thank you!
www.you-made-that.com says
I do love a smooth soup and with a lot of flavor and this one seems to fit that bill. I just made a cheese cauliflower soup was really tasty, but yours looks much healthier.
Ginny says
As soon as I saw the picture, I started guessing what on earth the ingredients are! So unusual and very much at the heart of Christmas...the white for innocence and our sins forgiven, making us white as snow. In fat if you ever serve this at a small get together, it would be fun to have each person write down how many things the white means, then see who has the most. I love the picture with the reflection in the pot, your husband took it? Please tell him for me that he is an artist with the camera. He would be very good working as a food photographer for a magazine.
Tara Noland says
How gorgeous and how clever using all white veggies, love it!! Pinning!!
- spoonstories- says
This soup is made by marvelous ingredients and looks very elegant too. Is the best choice for the Christmas night as a first dish.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
I love the idea of velvet soup, seems like it would be perfect for a snowy night!
Lynn@Happier Than a Pig in Mud says
Sounds like a great soup Chris! I had a nice creamy one for lunch today myself, it's snowing here again... Glad the furnace is up and running for you:@)
Shelby Law Ruttan says
absolutely beautiful and I am sure delicious!
Angie Schneider says
Looks so creamy and comforting, Chris. White velvet...I love the name.
Madonna/aka/Ms Lemon of Make Mine Lemon says
Chris, this looks so comforting and such a lovely presentation.
Oh, and Jimmy Kimmel was making fun of SoCal people - the weather-person was commenting on how high the winds were here - it was blowing the carts around in the parking lot. Pretty wimpy people here. 🙂
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Chris, what a wonderful name for such an elegant soup! Winter white velvet soup already sounds pretty special. I love all the vegetables that you included in this soup - so healthy and so delicious in this combination. I never crumbled feta on my creamy vegetable soup and added it to the soup before blending it but it sounds like a wonderful idea and it seems to give the soup even more of a special touch!
Also enjoy our "words of wisdom" by Carl Frederick Buechner.
Have a fabulous weekend and do stay warm!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
Ohhhh Chris I am so sorry about your furnace, I remember those days!! It's not fun!! But I can see why you wanted soup and wow you made a beautiful one. I love then name you came up with and the ingredients are just perfect! I am bookmarking this recipe and I think I am going to make it this week.
Wendy says
Making and enjoying soup might be my favorite part of winter! (It certainly isn't the freezing temperatures!) I am glad your furnace is now functioning and your are cozy and warm. Your garnishes make for an elegant presentation. Some crunchy chopped veggies and salty cheese sound wonderful with this mild creamy soup! I think you matched the soup to the name perfectly. 🙂