Zucchini Soup

My daughter Brittany loves zucchini soup and sent me the recipe she uses. I couldn't just leave it alone because I saw a few things that could make it even better. I decided to caramelize the zucchini and onion and add scallions and basil, plus Lisa made homemade chicken stock from left over rotisserie chicken. The sliced Calabrese pepper was added just because. 

Ingredients:

About 1/2 cup, extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

4 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces/half moon shapes 

1 medium sweet onion finely chopped 

½ cup thinly sliced scallions

½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

About 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste

About ¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to taste

2 cups chicken broth or homemade chicken stock 

2 tablespoons chopped basil, plus torn leaves for garnish

Sour cream

Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano 

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over high heat. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, cook the zucchini just on one cut side until golden and caramelized. As soon as the zucchini has browned on one side, transfer to a bowl or large plate.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pot. Add the onion, scallions, parsley and garlic and season with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat until the onion becomes soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Return the zucchini to the pot and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken stock. Use enough stock to just barely cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer until the zucchini is soft but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Stir in the basil.

 

If you have an immersion blender, use it to puree the soup. If you don't, then transfer the soup to a food processor and pulse to a coarse puree, then stir back into the pot. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Ladle into bowls, top with a little Parmigian, a dollop of sour cream and a few basil leaves. Add some thin slices of hot pepper if you like. You'll need a nice thick piece of good crusty bread with this too.