Kitchen Adventures || Souper Greens Soup & Patrick Deutschmann
Happy Wednesday! Back with more Kitchen Adventures and another featured friend! This week’s recipe truly was an adventure for me. I have never made a blended soup and there is one special ingredient I’ve never worked with before so I’m excited to share this recipe with you!
BUT FIRST! Let me introduce this week’s feature. Many of you already know him, or at least know the extensions of him, Hannan and little Ziva! You may not know, however, that Patrick is QUITE the craftsman! He owns his own carpentry business, Edelcor, down in Buda, but does work all around the Austin area!
Basically, if you can dream it up, Patrick can get it done. We’ve seen him build everything from wooden toys to a full on house and it’s all done with such care and precision, you won’t be disappointed. If you need an example of some of his work, just look around the gym. Patrick custom built the pegboard you see on the back wall and not only made a plyo box for us, but has actually made several for other members’ home gyms. That doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what he can do though. Check out the Portfolio on his website to see some more of his work, but don’t let those categories stop you from dreaming up whatever you want made! He’s up to the task!
Ok, now that you’re dreaming up the new dining table Patrick is going to make for you, let’s talk about the recipe you can make to eat on it 😉
I am always trying to find new ways to boost my veggie intake and to keep things interesting, I try to find ways to use vegetables I’ve never cooked with before. In this case, it’s fennel bulb! Now, I’m no stranger to fennel as a spice, but I’ve never actually picked up a fresh fennel bulb in the store until this recipe. Fresh fennel smells amazing and has a nice sweet tasting crunch. I was excited to work it in with this soup and I have to say, it gave it great flavor!
Although this whole year has been “sick season” I usually start around this time amping up the cold/flu fighting foods. This is an immune boosting powerhouse of a soup and it’s tasty to boot! I served it with some simple baked chicken breast and roasted asparagus and mushrooms, but it would be great on it’s own. Give it a go!
SOUPer Greens Soup – *Tools – you will need an immersion blender or be ready to transfer to a blender and back to the pot
INGREDIENTS
2 TBSP Avocado oil
1 medium yellow onion – diced
1 large parsnip – roughly chopped
5-6 garlic cloves minced
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley – chopped – stems and all
1 zucchini – sliced thin – keep the skin on
1 fennel bulb – roughly chopped (Just the white part, the tops won’t be used for this recipe)
3 celery stalks – chopped
1 small head broccoli – chopped into small florets
1 bay leaf
8 cups vegetable stock
1 can chickpeas, drained
10 oz baby spinach leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & cracked black pepper
Optional for topping, but HIGHLY recommended:
Dollop of plain Greek Yogurt
Drizzles of Truffle Oil – adds a whole new dimension of flavor
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat avocado oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, parsnips, garlic, parsley, zucchini, fennel, celery, and bay leaf. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they veggies have softened.
Add the broth, broccoli, and chickpeas and bring the pot to a boil. Cook for 4-5 minutes and then lower the heat to a simmer. Remove the bay leaf, add the spinach and season lightly with salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender if you have one (highly recommended), carefully blend the soup until smooth. If you’re using a blender, carefully transfer the soup to a blender and pulse until smooth, transfer back to the pot.
Once smooth, stir in the lemon juice and taste. Adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Dish it out, drop a dollop of Greek yogurt in the middle, and drizzle a bit of truffle oil. Enjoy!