Monday, July 31, 2006

Roasted Zucchini Soup with Fried Shallots

You know what, Blogger? You and me? We are officially in a fight. You see, I've had people on my case for not posting enough, yet I've been trying to upload pictures for this recipe for DAYS. Days! This? Is ridiculous.

And so, with one triumphant picture loaded, I'm posting. This is a great soup that will use up any zucchinis that are taking over your garden or given to you by overburdened friends. It's best served at room temperature, but you can certainly chill it if the heat is beating you down. I like it at a thicker consistency than some of you might, just adjust the stock or half & half as you wish. Also, you'll see that the measurements are far from precise--just wing it and feel proud when you are later slurping down this savory sweet soup with its satisfyingly crunchy garnish.

Roasted Zucchini Soup with Fried Shallots

for the shallots:

3-4 shallots, peeled and sliced very thinly
peanut oil

Heat about an inch of peanut oil over medium-high heat in a small, heavy pot. Fry the shallots in batches, being careful to not overload the pot or they will stick, until a deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

For the soup:

4-5 medium zucchini
half & half
chicken stock (or any broth)
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cube the zucchini roughly and toss generously in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until caramelized on the edges and very soft--you want it softer than you would if eating it on its own.

Dump the zucchini into a food processor and pulse a few times until pretty mushy. Now you can get creative--add stock and continue processing until as smooth and thin as you like. Add some half & half (you could use cream or even whole milk instead) in at the end and pulse again to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning--I like it simple, but you could add any number of spices at this point.

Ladle into a shallow bowl and top with a generous amount of the fried shallots. I recommend eating this whilst cursing your blog publishing program. It soothes the pain in a most satisfying manner.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh YUM! I love roast zucchini but I've never thought to make soup with it!

And hey, it may only have one picture, but it's a great one! Love those little fried curly shallots on top :)

wheresmymind said...

I'm not telling you what to do (I've learned that lesson from my wife lol)...but maybe you should bite the bullet and get your own site? I know blogger is free, but hosting your own blog means no foolishness like you've described. I've had bad luck with these online blogs which is why I bought:

www.cforcooking.com
www.wheresmymind.com
www.gonski.com

Way easy to set up your own site with none of this online hassle! Just a suggestion:D

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, that looks great. I wonder if it will work in my goofy blender, or if I should use my immersion blender? I really need a food processor. The thought of fried shallots makes me happy.

Marianne said...

Ack, wheresmymind, why must you taunt me so? I am so technologically inept that the idea of attempting that scares me. But, I know you are right. Argh.

Emily, I would think that either the immersion blender or regular blender would work, just go slow and add your liquid before pureeing.

Skeezix said...

Oh holy jesus. I'm making that for dinner tonight. Whhe!!!

Laura Rebecca said...

I have had the same issues with Blogger. Arrgh!

But your photo - and food - look great!

Anonymous said...

Any time I've made roasted vegetables I think to myself "That would probably make a really nice soup." And now my suspicions have been confirmed. The fried shallots look the the perfect finish to the soup. I love it.

Marianne said...

Grant, a few month back you mentioned that the cauliflower you roasted might make a good soup, and that idea stuck with me until I made this. So in a way I have you to thank!

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm...if only my husband would eat veggies or soup for that matter(he has major food issues...sigh).
It looks fantastic.

Skeezix said...

Oh my god. I made this last night and it is great. The fried shallots are essential.

It was super easy and perfect for a hot night since it wasn't heavy at all.

Anonymous said...

I think this recipe could even help me get my marrow-hating husband to eat zucchini.

I wonder how it would turn out with goat milk instead of half-and-half...

If this really soothes the pain of Blogger then I might have to make it by the vat! (My personal blog is on blogger; I haven't bit the bullet and moved it yet.)

Anonymous said...

Yum! Sounds like a perfect summer soup.

Why not open an account with Flikr or Photobucket or one of the myriad other free photo hosting sites? (I never knew one could upload pictures to Blogger...and I suppose it's one of those "you get what you pay for" scenarios.)

Acme Instant Food said...

I'll chime in with the Blogger Blues too. I'd ask for a refund, but...

I adore zucchini and the soup with fried shallots sounds tempting!

Anonymous said...

she's baaaa-aaaack! it's great to have you back and posting... your presences has been missed in the community! this soup looks divine, btw!

Lis said...

Oh that looks lovely.. am totally drooling over here. Another "Marianne" to add to my already huge book of recipes to try! =)

I use Flickr and have never had a problem with it and Blogger.. it's free with a limited amount of space for uploading pictures - and there is a "pro" version where you pay for unlimited space.. but even on the months when I cooked every single day and uploaded multiple pictures, I still didn't hit the limit on my free account. It's something you should definitely check out, I think you'll find it much less stressful than uploading on Blogger lol

Anonymous said...

man, i saw some zukes yesterday at the greenmarket that were so big they could have protected me whilst walking in the very most dangerous parts of brooklyn!
makes me really glad i dont have a garden to be taken over...
but then i see this and i wish i did have a garden to be taken over by giant squashes
sigh, the eternal struggle ;-)

Marianne said...

Junkyard--

You could leave the half & half out, easily. Replace it with some milk or eliminate it altogether. I only used a drizzle anyway.

For creaminess, you could also try some plain nonfat yogurt or a little sour cream. Enjoy!

Elizabeth said...

Marianne - soup looks fantastic...I will be trying that real soon! I feel your pain with Blogger/photo issues. I tried downloading Firefox and accessing Blogger through it...never had a problem uploading pics afterwards. Mabye worth a try for you. =)

Anonymous said...

I made this last night and it was so yummy. Thank you!