Hearty Vegetarian Soup
3 dried guajillo chili peppers divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
5 carrots peeled ends removed, ½-inch dice
½ a yellow onion peeled ends removed, rough dice
2 ribs celery ends removed ½-inch dice
1 leek cut length wise ends removed
1 Bosc pear, peeled, cored ½-inch dice
3 teaspoons kosher salt divided, more for taste
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper divided, more for taste
3 kale leaves
1 corn cob kernels removed, cob discarded
1 inch of peeled fresh ginger, minced
1 zucchini, ends removed, unpeeled ½-inch dice
1 parsnip, peeled ends removed, ½-inch dice
6 new red potatoes, unpeeled 1-inch dice
6 large broccoli florets broken into small florets
1 bay leaf
½ cup pear juice (I use Whole Foods Market organic pear juice)
32 ounces low sodium vegetable stock
16 ounces water
For garnishing:
8 ounces crème fraîche
2-inch strips from the divided chili pepper
5 chives cut into ½-inch pieces
48 homemade croutons (see recipe below)
3 slices white bread with crusts removed (I like Brownberry country buttermilk)
2 tablespoons unsalted softened butter
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut chili peppers in half, seed and cook over medium heat for 1 minute, turning over after 30 seconds. Add water to cover and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from boiling water and put on plate.
In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the EVOO and butter. While butter is melting, cut one of your leek halves into ¼-inch pieces. Save other half in refrigerator for another recipe. When butter has melted, add the carrots, onion, celery, leek and pear. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove stems from the kale and break into bite size pieces. Add kale to stock pot and sauté another 3 minutes. Cut 2 of the chili peppers into ¼-inch dice. For eventual garnishing, cut the remaining chili pepper into 2-inch strips that are ¼-inch wide. Add remaining ingredients except the 2-inch chili pepper strips to the stock pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Check that potatoes are cooked through. If not, cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For homemade croutons: Butter all sides of bread. Sprinkle each side with garlic powder. Stack the 3 slices on top of each other and cut into 16 pieces, resulting in 48 individual croutons. Bake on ribbed baking sheet until golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Serve soup in 8 bowls and garnish with 1 tablespoon crème fraîche, 6 homemade croutons, the 2-inch chili pepper strips and a sprinkle of chives divided evenly.
Serves 8
- Tim Schmitt