Scallion Soup Redux

Sunday dinner is something special at our house.  We both work on the meal, each one making a significant contribution.  This evening we wanted to try another recipe from one of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Cookbooks.  Jim chose to make Steak Diane from Al's Restaurant.  It was heaven!  My contribution was a fresh salad with lots of ingredients purchased from the farmer's market visit, a cup of scallion soup (that morphed into true delicate deliciousness overnight in the fridge, so forget what I said yesterday about adding another potato to the recipe, I wouldn't change a thing), a crusty roll, and glass of wine.  It was a delicious meal, beautifully and lovingly presented. 

I wish you could have joined us!

Scallion Soup

As mentioned in yesterday's post, while at the farm stand I picked up five bunches of scallions in order to try a new recipe that I've been wondering about for some time, Scallion Soup, cookbook author Colman Andrews's variation on vichyssoise.

  

Today I made the soup, using my own homemade chicken stock from the freezer, the farm fresh scallions, and a medium-sized russet potato. It's really very easy to put together, the most tedious part is cleaning and thinly slicing the scallions. I sampled it both hot and cold and I think I like it better chilled.

                                            

The texture of the soup became thicker when chilled making it feel a bit heartier than when warm, and it also provided a better base for the scallion garnish, that kept sinking to the bottom of the warm soup. The taste was light, the flavor uniquely scallion, but my thought was that it could have benefited from one or two more potatoes. When push comes to shove I prefer a warm soup over a cold one and this just wasn't quite thick enough for me.

Will I make it again? Yes, I think I will, it would make an excellent soup for a springtime luncheon, but I'll add more potato, replace 1/2 cup of stock with white wine (added at the end), and a pinch of cayenne.

SCALLION SOUP

5 large bunches scallions

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 russet potato, peeled and thinly sliced

6 cups chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Trim and thinly slice scallions; set aside 1/2 cup in a small bowl for garnish, and cover with plastic wrap.

2. Melt butter with olive oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add scallions, and cook, stirring often, until soft but not browned, about 20 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes begin to disintegrate, 35–40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Allow soup to cool slightly; then purée in an electric blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in cream, mixing in thoroughly, and adjust seasonings. Serve hot or cold, garnished with reserved scallions.

This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #47

Lion's Head soup bowl: Sur la Table

Green underplate: Fiestaware

Green handled spoon: Fiesta flatware