Cream of Artichoke Soup
serves 6
recipe slightly adapted from Saveur Magazine
- 2 lbs. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1⁄3 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
- 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges
- chopped parsley, for serving
- warm sourdough bread, for serving
Working in batches, purée artichoke hearts with 2 cups water in a blender. Transfer puréed artichokes to a 6-qt. pot with the butter, chicken broth, garlic, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
In a small jar or bowl, whisk together cornstarch with 1⁄2 cup cold water. Vigorously whisk cornstarch mixture and heavy cream into soup. Raise heat to medium-high and cook, whisking frequently, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Strain soup through a mesh strainer into a clean pot over low heat; discard solids. Ladle soup into 6 bowls, garnish with parsley, and squeeze a lemon wedge over each. Serve with warm sourdough bread.