Cream of Artichoke Soup

It's artichoke season again!  Artie didn't get that big this year, but still put out some respectable buds.  It only took a bit of frozen artichoke hearts to supplement them for this recipe from the L.A. Times.

Which brings up a point with this recipe.  Russ Parsons created it with fresh artichokes in mind, but you don't have to torture yourself.  Hearts canned in water or frozen are acceptable alternatives 90% of the time, and especially when they're getting puréed anyway.

Other than that, this is a typical creamy vegetable soup.  You could substitute frozen peas instead of artichoke for an equally satisfying bowl, though a very different taste.  It's the type of soup that can be served chilled as well as hot, but you will need to season it a touch differently if it's served cold.

I was puzzled by the 8-10 servings in the original recipe, until I got down to the very end.  Half-cup servings?  That's formal dinner party-sized!  No one is having those now.  Soon, maybe.  I'm considering this as four servings that will be accompanied by either bread and salad or a meat protein.  The bit of fried cheese I added was to make it more of a complete vegetarian meal.

*4 large artichokes (approx 2 C chopped)
*1 C diced onion
3 Tb olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and diced
*4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium potato (8 oz), peeled and diced
1 tsp kosher salt
*4 C unsalted chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 C heavy cream
2 egg yolks

1.  To prepare the artichokes, start with a bowl of lemon water.  Take each bud separately.  Cut off the stem, then start paring off the tough outer leaves until you get to the heart.  Cut off the top 2/3 of the inner leaves, cut in half, and scoop out the hairy choke.  Chop each heart into 1/2" pieces and place in the acidulated water.  Or spare yourself the drama and defrost a box or drain a can.  That way is also a lot cheaper.

2.  In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high.  Add the onion and allow it to soften, about 4 minutes.  Add the carrot and cook another 5 minutes covered.  Then add the garlic, potato, salt, and drained artichoke pieces.  Stir together, cover, turn down heat to medium-low, and let them cook for 10 minutes.

3.  Add broth to the pot.  Bring to a low boil and cover again.  Simmer for half an hour, until the vegetables are completely softened.  Russ says in his recipe "until the vegetables are soft enough that you can smash them between your fingers".  I don't recommend doing that with boiling hot food, but you get the idea.  Press a piece of artichoke against the side of the pot with a spoon.  If it breaks up, you're good.

4.  In batches, purée the soup in the blender for 30 seconds and pour through a sieve to remove any large pieces.  I didn't peel my potato because it didn't say to in the original recipe, and most of what was left in the sieve was potato skin.  A lot of it also made it through and kept the soup from looking perfect.  I put the peeling step in this version of the recipe.

5.  Return purée to medium heat and bring back to a simmer.  In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with cream.  Add 1/2 C of the hot soup to the eggs and whisk briskly to temper them so they don't curdle.  Pour mixture into soup and stir constantly until it thickens, about 3 minutes.  Don't boil the soup or it will get cooked egg chunks.  Serve hot, with parmesan crisps or other fried cheese as a garnish if desired.

Difficulty rating :)