Recipe

Spring Vegetable Soup with Charred Croutons

by Sasha Marx

The arrival of spring means green vegetables are back. And that calls for a celebration or, at the very least, a very good soup. Pureed vegetable soups can be great, but I wanted a recipe that shows off both the bright flavors and crisp textures of the season’s bounty. I based this soup on French barigoule, a vegetable broth fortified with white wine and lots of olive oil, commonly used as a poaching liquid for artichokes. Here, I ditch the artichokes (prepping artichokes is a lot of work, and canned artichokes should be banned), and make the vegetables in the barigoule the star of the show. As I discussed in a recent Behind the Scenes post, all vegetables don’t cook at the same rate. To make sure that none of them overcook in the soup, I add them in stages.

What makes this soup a showstopper, though, is its incredibly vibrant green color. I save the fibrous leek tops and fennel fronds from the compost bucket and blanch them with fresh parsley in boiling water spiked with a little baking soda. The soda raises the pH of the water so the greens soften faster. And faster blanching means less bright green chlorophyll is destroyed. After a quick shock in ice water I blend the greens with just water, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and stir the puree into the pot right before serving. The soup is finished with charred croutons that soak up the brothy goodness and provide delicious carb crunch. Pop a bottle of rosé and give spring vegetables their due with this (vegan!) soup.

Photography by Steve Klise

Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
150 g rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1½-inch pieces
2,250 g plus 1,800 g water, divided
1,000 g ice
9 g plus 3 g kosher salt, divided
2 g baking soda
30 g fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
140 g leek (1 small leek), white and light green parts sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds and washed thoroughly; top sliced thin and washed thoroughly
115 g fennel (1 medium bulb), cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces; fronds chopped coarse
56 g plus 42 g extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 g pepper
15 g garlic (3 cloves), sliced thin
140 g carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
900 g vegetable broth
115 g thick asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds
115 g snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
32 g white wine vinegar
5 ounces rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1½-inch pieces
10 cups plus 8 cups water, divided
4 cups ice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1  small leek, white and light green parts sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds and washed thoroughly; top sliced thin and washed thoroughly
1  medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces; fronds chopped coarse
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1½ teaspoons pepper
3  garlic cloves, sliced thin
2  carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
4 cups vegetable broth
4 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds
4 ounces snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Essential Equipment
Instructions
    • 150 g rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1½-inch pieces
    Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange bread in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, spacing pieces at least ½ inch apart, and transfer to oven. Broil until bread is charred on top, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip bread pieces and continue to broil until bottom is charred, 1 to 2 minutes longer. 
    • 2,250 g plus 1,800 g water, divided 
    • 1,000 g ice 
    • 9 g kosher salt 
    • 2 g baking soda 
    • 30 g fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped 
    • leek top, sliced thin and washed thoroughly 
    • fennel fronds, chopped coarse
    Bring 2,250 grams water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Meanwhile, set up ice bath by combining 1,800 grams water and ice in large bowl. Add 9 grams salt, baking soda, parsley leaves, leek top, and fennel fronds to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain blanched tops and parsley in fine mesh strainer or colander and immediately transfer, still in strainer, to ice bath. 
    • 56 g extra-virgin olive oil 
    • 3 g kosher salt
    Transfer 100 grams ice and 100 grams water to blender. Remove blanched tops and parsley from ice bath, squeeze out excess water, and transfer to blender. Process on high speed until fairly smooth, about 1 minute. Stop blender and scrape down sides of blender jar with rubber spatula. With blender running on high speed, slowly drizzle in 56 grams oil. Continue to process until mixture is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds longer. Stir in 3 grams salt, transfer puree to small bowl, and refrigerate until ready to use. 
    • 42 g extra-virgin olive oil 
    • 2 g pepper 
    • 140 g leek (1 small leek), white and light green parts sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds and washed thoroughly 
    • 15 g garlic (3 cloves), sliced thin 
    • 140 g carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds 
    • 115 g fennel (1 medium bulb), cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces
    Heat 42 grams oil and pepper in Dutch oven over medium-low heat until pepper begins to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add leek and garlic and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. Add carrots and fennel and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened at edges, about 3 minutes. 
    • 900 g vegetable broth
    Add vegetable broth, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to simmer, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer until carrots and fennel are slightly tender but still firm, about 3 minutes.  
    • 115 g thick asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into ⅛-inch-thick rounds 
    • 115 g snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces 
    • 32 g white wine vinegar 
    Add asparagus, snap peas, vinegar, and green puree to soup and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide soup and charred croutons among warmed shallow bowls, arranging croutons in single layer in soup (croutons should not be completely submerged in soup, so they remain crunchy on top side). Serve immediately.  
Instructions
    • 5 ounces rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1½-inch pieces
    Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange bread in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, spacing pieces at least ½ inch apart, and transfer to oven. Broil until bread is charred on top, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip bread pieces and continue to broil until bottom is charred, 1 to 2 minutes longer. 
    • 10 cups plus 8 cups water, divided 
    • 4 cups ice 
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda 
    • 2 cups fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped 
    • leek top, sliced thin and washed thoroughly 
    • fennel fronds, chopped coarse
    Bring 10 cups water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Meanwhile, set up ice bath by combining 8 cups water and ice in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon salt, baking soda, parsley leaves, leek top, and fennel fronds to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain blanched tops and parsley in fine mesh strainer or colander and immediately transfer, still in strainer, to ice bath. 
    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    Transfer 1 cup ice and 1 cup water to blender. Remove blanched tops and parsley from ice bath, squeeze out excess water, and transfer to blender. Process on high speed until fairly smooth, about 1 minute. Stop blender and scrape down sides of blender jar with rubber spatula. With blender running on high speed, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup oil. Continue to process until mixture is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds longer. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, transfer puree to small bowl, and refrigerate until ready to use. 
    • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
    • 1½ teaspoons pepper 
    • 1 small leek, white and light green parts sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds and washed thoroughly 
    • 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin 
    • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds 
    • 1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces
    Heat 3 tablespoons oil and pepper in Dutch oven over medium-low heat until pepper begins to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add leek and garlic and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. Add carrots and fennel and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened at edges, about 3 minutes. 
    • 4 cups vegetable broth
    Add vegetable broth, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to simmer, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer until carrots and fennel are slightly tender but still firm, about 3 minutes.  
    • 4 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into ⅛-inch-thick rounds 
    • 4 ounces snap peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces 
    • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
    Add asparagus, snap peas, vinegar, and green puree to soup and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide soup and charred croutons among warmed shallow bowls, arranging croutons in single layer in soup (croutons should not be completely submerged in soup, so they remain crunchy on top side). Serve immediately.  
Close

Cook’s Science Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter and be the first to learn about new stories, get behind-the-scenes looks at our research and testing, and score exclusive recipes.

Welcome to the community!

Keep an eye on your inbox for the sauce recipes and for our regular newsletter. Thanks for joining us!