Monday, February 7, 2011

Potato & Endive Soup


Happy Monday guys!  How was everyone's weekend? 

We were pretty relaxed on our end.  We watched the Superbowl last night with a couple of friends, but considering I didn't care for either team, I didn't quite pay attention very much.  And the commercials... I thought were a major disappointment this year.  I think I maybe laughed once, at a Doritos commercial.  But besides that, all were pretty lame.

And the half-time show.  Don't even get me started.  The best thing about it was the short appearance by Slash.  And then that was quickly ruined by Fergie's failed Axl Rose impersonation.  Seriously Fergie.  Major Fail. 

But this is not a "complain about how much I disliked the Superbowl" blog.  It's a food blog.  And this soup, as weird as the combination of Potatoes & Endive sounds, it was a 'super' bowl of soup.  Yes, I made that corny joke, but seriously...  It was shear awesomeness in a bowl.  Unlike the actual Superbowl,  it does not disappoint.



Ingredients:

4-5 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup pecorino-romano
1 large endive, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 cups chicken stock
4 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
mozzarella cheese, shredded (optional)

In a large dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add garlic and anchovies.  
 
Once garlic starts to brown, add potatoes, raisins, bay leaf, pine nuts, and escarole. Cover with chicken stock, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.
 
Puree with immersion blender.  Slowly stir in heavy cream and cayenne pepper.  Then stir in pecorino and cheddar cheese until melted.  You can go ahead and serve the soup now as is, or you can take it to another level and place soup in oven-proof bowls, cover the top lightly with mozzarella cheese, and broil for a few minutes, until cheese is browned.  
 
Now that's heaven in a bowl.  I loved all the different flavors in this soup.  They all melded perfectly together.  Seemingly random ingredients, came together for a flavor party.  And it was a tasty party, at that.  So if you're looking for something new and different, this soup is totally for you!  Enjoy guys!

21 comments:

  1. sounds divine =) I'll take a bowl... make that two! <3

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum, that cheese really makes your soup look fantastic. Sounds like a winner to me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That looks so good, especially with the cheese on top! Potatoes are my favorite soup ingredient :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks totally fabulous---I'm sold on the combo of ingredients just by the looks of it :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm gonna focus on this bowl of wonderful soup, and not the game!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This soup is such a heavenly treat for all occasions. PS. I like your bowls too...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Potato + Endive... what's not to love? I picture speaks a thousand words to me... I'm game!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks delicious, that browned cheese makes me hungry. awesome combo with potato and endive.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Any bowl with melted cheese on top makes me a happy girl. And I love endive! Thank you for sharing your words, your photos and your thoughts. I'm blessed to have you in my day! I hope you have a wonderful week, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Broiled cheese rules, even if my tummy can't stand it! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sounds fantastic! Am hungry looking at your soup!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That certainly looks like one delicious flavor party! Very creative combinations! Ship this along with the shrimp tempura tacos hehe:)

    I heard the same thing from another friend about Axl bing the best thing about the half-time show. I am not a BEP fan or Steelers fan so I am happy I slept through it instead of staying up until 5 am!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Last comment seems to have gone AWOL!!! I said that this soup looks so delicious and that I was on my out to buy some endives. Love soup in this weather. Diane

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your soup was definitely the great winner.
    Very delicious served with the cheese topping ♥

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have never tried anchovies in a soup, very original. I love the colors.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a hearty soup. Endive is an interesting addition. Usually a leek is thrown in, but I think this is a lighter flavor. And all that cheese is nice and rich, just the way winter food should be.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Not gonna lie, I found the superbowl kind of disappointing as well. If I had had this soup, it would have been infinitely better. Sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This soup makes my mouth water =P. Oh so lusciously divine.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love soups especially with some starch in them like potatoes. Endive is great with potatoes and I would omit the cheese in mine... I'm a health concious guy :) Thanks for stopping by my food blog too :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Endives and potatoes are so lovely and in a soup - simply beautiful. I'm not a very big fan of raisins, so I guess I'll skip them, but this is definitely going on my to do list.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi there! I made this soup for dinner last night and it came out super delish! Only things I changed (since it was what I had on hand) was that I used Vegetable Stock and Purple Raisins. All in all flavorful soup!

    ReplyDelete