This Chilled Avocado Soup is the result from yesterday morning's pajama-wearing, cooking show-watching bliss. I had the majority of the ingredients in my kitchen, so I knew I was good to go. Simple, spontaneous, and so delicious, this recipe is a real winner. I also love that it is served chilled; it is refreshing and bright but also creamy because of the amazing avocados.
I made the Parmesan Cup Croutons as a little surprise topper because I was making this soup for lunch and wanted to add in some texture. I think these little parmesan delights are the easiest thing I have EVER made in the kitchen. They would be absolute perfection as the topper to a tomato-basil soup, a meaty chili, or a butternut squash soup.
A modest drizzle of tangy sour cream sends everything over the edge. Holy yummy - the picture says it all.
Chilled Avocado Soup
Inspired by and adapted from: www.foodnetwork.com/mexicanmadeeasy Ingredients (4 servings):
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
splash of water, as needed for the desired consistency of the soup
handful fresh cilantro (I substituted parsley, and it worked great)
juice of 1 lemon
S & P
olive oil for the pan
2 T. sour cream
*optional - add a diced serrano chili with the seeds removed or a drizzle of hot sauce for a spicy kick
The Process:
Heat a skillet over medium heat with about 1 T. of olive oil. Add the onions to the pan, and cook them for 3-5 minutes. After they have softened a bit, add in the garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or so. You just want the onions to soften; you do not want them to caramelize or brown too much. Remove them from the heat to allow them to cool.
Slice avocados lengthwise, and remove the pits. Add the avocado flesh to a blender or a food processor. Add in the handful of fresh cilantro or parsley. Pour in the chicken stock. Add S & P.
Once the onions and garlic have cooled, add them to the blender or food processor. Blend or process everything together until the soup has a creamy consistency ~ about 1 minute of blending with a few stirs in between.
Refrigerate the soup for at least 2 hours to allow it to fully chill and to also encourage all of the flavors to marinate a bit more.
When you are ready to serve up this scrumptious soup, ladle it into bowls and drizzle with a bit of sour cream. Top with the Parmesan Cup Croutons!
Source: my own, inspired by many restaurants offering variations of them on salads
Ingredients:
Shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
non-stick cooking spray
The Process:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with a touch of non-stick cooking spray. Scoop about a tablespoon of parmesan (grated would be OK but the shredded or shaved versions melt together more lusciously) into each mini muffin cup or onto a greased baking sheet. If using a baking sheet, just press the cheese together with your fingers so that it does not flatten too much. If it flattens, it will still be great - the name would just change to Parmesan Chip Croutons. :-)
Bake for about 5 minutes until golden brown. The "wow factor" is pretty substantial for such tiny cheesy surprises! They instantly brought me back to my after-school days when Mom would put tortilla chips in the oven topped with cheese, and we would all fight for the bits of burnt cheese on the pan.
Crispy, salty, a little chewy, nutty . . . wow factor!
~Bon Appetit~
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