Pantone Soup

Winter Colors on the Dinner Table

DIRECTIONS:

The trick to setting a dark green color to any vegetable or leafy green is by quickly blanching the item in boiling water and then shocking them in ice water.

Clean your greens under cool running water and spin them dry. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and then submerge the leaves into the water for one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Allow to cool completely. Drain the leaves and spin dry to remove any extra excess water.

T here’s nothing wrong with playing with your food. Especially when it comes to adding some pops of color to your dinner table. For winter, we always have a good time cooking with the hearty greens that come to our local farmers markets like kale, chard, chicories and sweet savoy spinach.
Check out this recipe for a great winter soup!

Kale and Spinach Bisque:

Ingredients:

3 lbs   dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, or chard. Or a mixture of each.
6   cloves garlic, crushed
4   shallots, finely diced
6   cups vegetable stock
1/2   cup white wine
4   tablespoons organic olive oil
1   tablespoon finely chopped thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste Heavy cream to adjust the color and richness

In a large stock pot, add the olive oil, garlic, and shallots and then turn on medium-high heat. Allow the garlic and shallot to cook until tender and translucent. Add in the thyme and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add in the drained greens and the white wine. Cover the pot with a lid and allow to steam for 4 minutes. Add in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

Once the liquid has come to a boil, remove from the stove and then use either an immersion blender or countertop blender to puree the contents of the pot. Once smooth, return to the stock pot and adjust the seasoning as need with salt and pepper.

For a lighter color and richer flavor, add heavy cream to taste.

Enjoy!

Serves 6.