HAR-GRILLED VEGETABLE SOUP with Summer Salsa
During the early part of1985, the editors of Cook's Magazine called and asked me to give them an original recipe for a new column they were introducing featuring leading chefs and restaurants in the United States. I was working extensively with wood-burning grills at that time, so I began to think about a creamy vegetable soup that would enable me to bring the special outdoor flavors of the grill inside. If it is summertime and you would prefer to chill the soup, that's fine.
Serves 4 to 6
2 leeks, white part only, split and
thoroughly washed Salt and black pepper 2 small eggplants Extra virgin olive oil for brushing vegetables 1 zucchini, cut lengthwise into slices
'A inch thick 1 yellow squash, cut lengthwise into slices
'A inch thick 1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
6 tablespoons (% stick) butter
4 stalks celery, chopped
Ч2 Spanish onion, chopped
24 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 small bay leaves
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 quart heavy cream, and extra cream if necessary to thin the soup
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1. Heat grill.
2. In a saucepan, blanch leeks in salted, boiling water to cover until just tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Halve eggplants lengthwise. Cut one half lengthwise into sUces lA inch thick. Brush ah cut surfaces of eggplant liberally with olive oil. Season leeks, eggplants, zucchini, peppers, and yellow squash with salt and pepper and coat lightly with olive oil.
4. Grill the unsliced eggplant halves until quite soft, about 6 minutes. Remove from grill and cool.
5. Grill eggplant slices, zucchini, yellow squash, and leeks, being careful not to char too much, about 6 minutes for eggplant slices and 4 minutes for squashes and leeks. Put grilled vegetables in a bowl.
6. G7. Scrape out the flesh of the cooled, grilled eggplant halves and discard skin and as many of the seeds as possible. Chop flesh.
8. In a large pot, heat butter until foamy. Add celery and onion and cook until soft. Add chopped eggplant and basil leaves to pot. Season with salt and pepper and add bay leaves. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add stock and cook 10 to 12 minutes. Add 2 cups heavy cream and boil. Remove from heat and remove bay leaves.
9. Puree the soup. Return it to a clean pot and simmer 5 minutes.
10. Cut the grilled leeks, zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant slices crosswise into medium strips. Peel and seed peppers and cut like the eggplant. Return vegetables to bowl and mix gently.
11. Stir % of the vegetable mixture into the soup. Add the remaining two cups of cream, or less, to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls. Toss the remaining grilled vegetables in the wine vinegar and divide this as garnish among the bowls of soup.rill red and yellow peppers until evenly charred. Then cover them with a towel and cool.
V/HILLED FENNEL SOUP with Grilled Shrimp
I feel there is a natural affinity between shellfish and Pernod. So do the folks in Marseilles, I guess, because they invented a dish called bouillabaisse to illustrate the relationship. This soup is not, however, like bouillabaisse in any other notable respect.
Serves 4 to 6
MARINADE AND SHRIMP
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon fennel tops 3 tablespoons Pernod
8 whole black peppercorns
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced medium
2 leeks, white part only, washed and diced medium
4 stalks celery, diced medium
2 fennel bulbs, cores removed, diced medium
2 small red potatoes, peeled and diced
1 quart Fish Stock (page 244) 1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon thyme leaves 1 tablespoon chervil leaves 1 quart heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste Уз cup Pernod
Sprigs of fresh fennel tops, for garnish
1. Prepare marinade and pour over shrimp. Refrigerate, turning shrimp in marinade occasionally.
2. Now, make the soup: Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed pot on moderate heat; add diced onion, leeks, celery, and fennel and stir. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often. Do not allow to brown.
3. When the vegetables are soft, add the diced potatoes and fish stock. Cook 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and chervil and cook 1 minute. Add the cream and salt and pepper and cook gently until soup is thick. Remove bay leaf.
4. Puree the soup and strain it, if desired, into a bowl set over ice. Stir in the Pernod.
5. Prepare the grill and when it is quite hot, quickly grill the shrimp. Discard the marinade. Chill the cooked shrimp and cut into bite-sized pieces.
6. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls and garnish each serving with shrimp and a sprig of fresh fennel.