It is hard to believe summer has wound down and I am using the last of my green beans from my Hands and Hearts CSA, but I am! This cold soup has a consistency close to that of gazpacho. Creamy with texture. The pepper in this soup makes it a little spicy, a nice twist on a cold soup. Perfect for these late-fall work afternoons.
This soup pairs well with roasted beet and feta salad and Colter’s Creek Juliaetta Rose.
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds very fresh green beans
2 cups milk
½ cup half and half
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives, optional, but highly recommended!
Instructions
Rinse the green beans (the bean in this photo are a flat green bean from Affinity Farm in Moscow, Idaho, any fresh green bean will work in this recipe). Remove stems and strings. Chop beans into 1-inch pieces. Steam until bright green and tender enough to puree. Be careful not to fully cook the beans! Puree beans in a food processor.
Heat milk until hot, but not scalded. Add the pureed green beans, half and half, salt and pepper. Season to taste.
If the soup is not as smooth as you would like, you can use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot! Cool slightly. Move to storage container or bowl and refrigerate until cold.
Serve chilled soup with chopped chives or other fresh herbs.
Notes
This recipe is an adaptation of Mollie Katzen’s Cream of Fresh Green Bean Soup, from her book The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.
Colette DePhelps is a local food enthusiast. At home or abroad, she searches out and enjoys preparing and eating local, seasonal cuisine. At home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she spent the spring preparing, eating and preserving the veggies from her two CSA subscriptions. Colette serves Idaho’s ten northern counties as a Community Food Systems Area Educator with University of Idaho Extension.
Local & regional ingredients #greenbeans #milk #chives
Recipe type #soup