GREAT GREEN BLENDER SOUP AND CRèME FRAîCHE

Great Green Blender Soup and Crème Fraîche image

Provided by Food Network

Time 20m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

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Ingredients

One 250-gram/9-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed in fridge overnight
3 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed in fridge overnight
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (1 liter)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 green onions, roughly chopped
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 garlic cloves, grated
1/3 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup roughly chopped fine herbs, such as basil, mint, tarragon, chives or more parsley
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino cheese, plus more for serving, optional (25 grams)
Sour cream, plain yogurt or Crème Fraîche, recipe follows, for garnish, optional
1/2 cup 35% cream (125 milliliters)
1 tablespoon buttermilk (15 milliliters)

Steps:

Drain the spinach through a fine mesh sieve, pressing gently to remove most of the water and transfer it along with the peas to a blender.
Meanwhile, pour the vegetable broth into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the green onions, season with salt and pepper and cook just until bright green and starting to lightly color, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, allowing the residual heat from the pan to lightly cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Transfer to the blender. Add the herbs, lemon zest, lemon juice and 3 cups of the hot broth.
Place the lid on the blender, remove the vent cap, cover with a kitchen towel and blend on high until smooth. Add in the Pecorino cheese, if using. Season to taste with more salt, pepper and lemon juice. For a thinner soup, add more stock. Blend to combine.
Serve as is topped with sour cream, yogurt or crème fraîche and Pecorino cheese, if using. This soup can also be served chilled or heated to a higher temperature (though additional heating might tone down the bright green color).
Combine the cream and buttermilk in a glass jar and cover with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel affixed with a rubber band. Leave the mixture out on the counter at room temperature, undisturbed, for 12 to 24 hours, until thick. Stir and cover with an airtight lid and transfer to the fridge until ready to use for up to 10 days. Feel free to up the flavor by stirring in some lemon zest, lemon juice, pepper or finely chopped herbs just before serving.