Green Bean Soup

Ingredients

3 ½ cups of vegetable stock (see our recipe for Vegetable Stock)

½ cup of onion, chopped

½ a vanilla bean, split lengthwise

3  tablespoons soft butter

3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour

3 to 3 ½ cups green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

1. In a dutch oven, bring the broth, onion, and vanilla bean to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until onion is tender. Discard vanilla bean.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the butter and flour. Whisk into broth mixture. Cook and stir until slightly thickened.

3. Add beans to broth mixture. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. If desired, garnish with steamed green beans.

Serves 6 to 8.

Gazpacho II

Ingredients

 4 cups tomato juice

 1 onion, finely chopped

 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

 1 English cucumber, chopped into small pieces

 2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped.

 2 green onions, chopped

 1 clove garlic, minced

 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

 1 teaspoon dried basil

 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

 1 teaspoon white sugar (optional)

 Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine tomato juice, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tarragon, basil, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Process until well-combined but still slightly chunky. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. 

Serves 10

Gazpacho I (authentic)

Ingredients

10 oz of bread

 21 oz. Tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped

 2 cloves of garlic, minced

 2 onions, chopped

 2 red and green peppers, seeded and chopped

 1 English cucumber, chopped

 7 tablespoons of oil

 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water

In a big mortar mash the garlic and the soaked bread, in a bowl mix the chopped onion, the chopped tomato, the oil, the vinegar, the salt and the contents of the mortar, mash it with the mixer and add very cold water to mix everything. Add salt and strain it. Keep it in the fridge until served.

Serve with the tomato, the cucumber, the pepper and the toasted bread cut to dices. 

Serves 4

Garlic Soup

Ingredients

4 cups Onions chopped

2 cups Garlic, minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

6 cups Chicken stock (see our recipe)

1 bouquet Garni, (parsley stems, thyme sprigs and bay leaf, tied together with cheese cloth) 

2 cups Stale French bread, torn into 1/2" pieces   

1 cup Half and half

1. In a dutch oven, heat oil and butter and sauté the onions and garlic. Stir often over low to medium heat until the onions are brown Add the chicken stock and bouquet garni and bring to a boil. Add in the bread cubes and simmer for 10 minutes, until the bread  pieces becomes soft. Remove the bouquet garni, let cool and purée the soup in a food processor or blender

2. Strain the soup through a sieve, reheat and whisk in more chicken stock if the soup is too thick for your taste. Add the half and half, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.