A surprising flavor for this puntarelle and purple carrot soup. An ideal first course for the evening, served with whole wheat croutons.
The light bitterness of the puntarelle is well balanced by the sweetness of the purple carrots and the yellow-fleshed potatoes.
I decided to prepare this puntarelle and purple carrot soup and we enjoyed it very much.
Puntarelle are essentially the shoots of a particular catalogna chicory, which in turn belongs to the large family of chicories. The sprout variety perhaps most appreciated is the Galatina chicory, named after a town in Apulia. The catalogna puntarelle stand out from other chicory varieties for producing, at the center of the rosette of leaves, a cluster of large shoots joined together in a pinecone-like shape.
If you like soups, I also recommend:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients — Puntarelle and Purple Carrot Soup
- 1 puntarelle
- 6 purple carrots
- 4 potatoes (small)
- 1 shallot
- as needed vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 1 pinch black pepper
Tools
- 1 Casserole
Steps — Puntarelle and Purple Carrot Soup
Wash and chop the outer leaves of the puntarelle into pieces. Cut the inner white stems into thin strips. In a pot, pour one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped shallot and sweat it. Wash and peel the carrots and slice them into rounds. Do the same with the potatoes.
Add everything to the pot with the sweated shallot, pour in the vegetable broth, add the teaspoon of mixed herbs and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
Plate the soup, adding a grating of black pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil.
Serve with whole wheat croutons.
Tips from Timo and Lentils
If you don’t have carrots you can add some pumpkin or sweet potato to balance the slight bitterness of the puntarelle. If you have leftover puntarelle, leave them in ice water for a few hours and then prepare a nice crunchy salad.
