Giadas Creamy Artichoke Soup Recipes

GIADA'S CREAMY ARTICHOKE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.
• Add leeks and garlic, cook and stir for about 2 minutes.
• Add the potato and cook about 5 minutes.
• Add the artichokes and broth, cover and cook 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Add salt, pepper and cream cheese.
• At this point you can pull out your immersion blender if you're lucky enough to have one. Puree until smooth.
• If you're like me, take the soup off the heat for a few minutes and transfer to a blender to puree (probably in batches) until smooth.
• You may want to strain the soup to remove the little stringy bits of artichokes -- especially if you have kids.
• Top with chives, maybe a dollop of sour cream, or even some mascarpone if you are living dangerously.
• Enjoy!

CREAMY ARTICHOKE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts, season with salt and pepper and saute another 5 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree until smooth with a hand blender or in a blender in small batches. Whisk in 3/4 cup yogurt and season with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, stir together the pesto sauce and lemon juice. Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with about 1 tablespoon yogurt and drizzle with the thinned pesto sauce.

ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH FRESH MINT

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Cook the vegetables until just tender, about 4 minutes. Add 2 cups broth and the artichoke hearts and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the artichoke hearts are tender, about 12 minutes.
• Puree the soup, 1 cup at a time, in a blender until very smooth, adding the spinach and chopped mint with the last cup. Return the puree to the same saucepan. Mix in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Warm over low heat, thinning with the additional broth by 1/4 cupfuls if the soup is too thick. Ladle the soup into bowls. Squeeze a lemon wedge over each bowl of soup before serving.