The photo above looks plain, but that’s misleading. This soup is elegant and delicious. You’ll find yourself with an empty bowl before you realize it. 

I picked up 4 beautiful, large artichokes the other day and wanted to make a soup. Having never made artichoke soup before, I searched the Internet for inspiration and helpful tips. I came across a recipe with detailed instructions at SimplyRecipes. It was especially helpful in showing how to trim an artichoke. Of course, I made a few adjustments. 

Artichoke Soup

Prep time 25 minutes, Cook time 90 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 large artichokes, trimmed to use only hearts (save leaves to steam and snack with an aioli)
• 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped
• 1/2 cup diced shallots
• 8 oz. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced 
• 10 cups of chicken stock
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley 
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream

Directions

Prep your artichoke hearts. Remove all the leaves and cut out the thistle choke (remove those fuzzy hairs) in the center. You can leave 1-2 inches of the stem. Make sure to trim off any remaining tough outside skin. Chop your artichoke hearts into quarter-inch pieces. (Please note: the hearts brown quickly so prep accordingly.)

Over medium heat, melt butter in a large stockpot. Mix in the artichoke hearts, garlic, leek, and shallots. Cook until tender, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Then, lower heat and simmer, uncovered for an hour. 

When the hour is up, remove the bay leaf. Use a stick blender and purée the soup. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the cream and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy. 

This light and smooth soup is perfect for summer! It’s also a crowd-pleaser in my house.