Recipe: Winter Vegetable Potage

WINTER VEGETABLE POTAGE

Categories: Soups, Masterchefs, New york
Yield: 8 servings

1/2 c Butter, unsalted,
1 md Onion, coarsely chopped
1 ea Leek, trimmed, split
-- lengthwise, chopped
3 ea Celery, stalks, chopped
3 ea Garlic, cloves, crushed
1 sm Chili, jalapeno, split
-- lengthwise, seeded, and
-- chopped
2 lg Carrots, peeled, chopped
1/2 md Cabbage, head, savoy, cored,
-- coarsely chopped
2 md Potatoes, baking, peeled and
-- coarsely chopped
2 md Turnips, white, peeled
-- chopped
1 md Fennel, bulb, chopped
1 md Kohlrabi, peeled, coarsely
-- chopped (opt)
1 md Celery, root, (celeriac),
-- pared, coarsely chopped
3 ea Broccoli, stalks, coarsely
-- cut up
12 ea Parsley, Italian, sprigs
-- (cilantro)
10 c Stock, Chicken **
3 c Cream, whipping
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Cream, sour (garnish)
Chives, fresh, chopped,
-- (garnish)

** See recipes for Chicken Stock.

In a large saucepan or casserole, heat up the butter over
medium-low heat. Add the onion, leek, celery, garlic and jalapeno
chili. Cook, covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the carrots, cabbage, potatoes, turnips, fennel, kohlrabi,
celery root, broccoli, parsley, and enough stock to nearly cover.
Bring the contents to a boil; lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for
30 minutes or until very tender.

Puree the soup, working in batches as necessary, in a processor
or blender. Rinse out the pan, pour the soup back into the saucepan,
and bring the soup to a simmer. Add cream and salt and pepper to
taste; heat back up to simmer. Serve with garnish of sour cream and
chives.


At Thanksgiving dinner at The Four Seasons, this soup is served
in a hollowed-out acorn squash. To serve it this way, slice off the
tops and a thin sliver from the bottom of the acorn squash (this is
so the squash can "sit up" on its own) then hollow out the insides.

Pour in the finished soup and bake on a baking sheet, uncovered,
at 375 F until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. The squash
will be tender enough to be scraped from the shell and eaten with the
soup.