Creamy Spinach Soup With Fontina Toast Recipes

CREAMY SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• Place spinach, water, bouillon, onion, and garlic powder in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until onion is tender.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in half-and-half; mix until smooth. Pour the cream mixture into the spinach soup, and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SPINACH CREAM SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute (the flour should not take on any color).
• Pour in stock, whisking to incorporate fully, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, whisking fairly often, to cook out raw flour taste and thicken the liquid (it should reach the consistency of heavy cream).
• Blanch spinach: Wash well and trim tough ends while bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Salt the boiling water generously and submerge all of the spinach. Blanch 30 seconds, just until wilted and bright green, then remove spinach with a spider or slotted spoon and immediately plunge into the ice-water bath to stop the cooking, stirring to cool more quickly. Squeeze spinach with your hands to remove excess liquid.
• Working in batches (do not fill more than halfway), add spinach and veloute base into a blender and puree until smooth. (Alternatively, puree soup in a food mill, using either fine or coarse disk, a food processor, or with an immersion blender.) Pass soup through a fine sieve into a clean pot, pressing on solids with a flexible spatula to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Set pot over low heat and whisk in cream, if using. (Thin with more stock or water, if necessary.) Cream soups are the best made just before serving, especially when using green vegetables, as the soup can lose some of its vibrant color. You can make the veloute base the day before; let cool completely then refrigerate in an airtight container.
• Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add bread cubes and cook until crisp and golden brown.
• Serve soup garnished with croutons.

CREAMY SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large lidded saucepan, add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 5-6 minutes until softening. Stir in the potato and continue to cook gently for 1 minute. Pour in the stock and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the potato starts to cook. Pour in the milk and bring up to a simmer, then stir in half the spinach and the lemon zest. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the spinach has completely wilted down. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Pour the soup into a blender (preferably) or food processor, add the remaining spinach (this will keep the soup bright green and fresh tasting) and process until silky smooth - you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your machine. (The soup may now be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in the microwave or overnight in the fridge. The soup may lose some of its vibrancy on freezing, but the flavour won't be impaired.) Return to the pan and reheat. Taste and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. You may like to dilute the soup with a little extra stock if too thick. Ladle the soup into bowls and swirl in the cream

CREAM OF SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine water, bouillon, and spinach. Bring to a boil, and cook until spinach is tender.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Season with minced onion, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in spinach mixture.

DELICIOUS CREAM OF SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• In 3qt pan, saute onion in butter until soft.
• Stir in flour; add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Blend in the milk.
• Cook, stirring on med heat until bubbly.
• Keep stirring for 1 minute.
• Stir in the spinach.
• Cook 1 minute, remove from heat.
• Serve piping hot.

ONION SOUP WITH FONTINA AND THYME

Steps:

• In a medium, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme and broth. Simmer, uncovered, until the onions are soft, about 15 minutes.
• Divide the soup between the 4 ovenproof ramekins. Divide the cubed bread among the ramekins. Top each with slices of fontina cheese. Place under the broiler, until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

SPINACH-AND-FONTINA STRATA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Fill pan with as much spinach as will fit; cook, stirring, adding remainder a handful at a time as space allows. When all the spinach is wilted, stir in pepper and nutmeg. Drain spinach in a sieve. When cool enough to handle, squeeze excess moisture from spinach by hand.
• Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Place a third of the bread in a single layer in dish. Top with half the spinach mixture and a third of the cheeses. Repeat layering with a third of the bread, remaining spinach mixture, and a third of the cheeses, then top with remaining bread.
• Whisk together 6 eggs, 2 cups milk, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and carefully pour over bread. Cover with parchment, and gently press down with hands until egg mixture soaks through top of bread. Cover parchment with foil, and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, remove strata from refrigerator, uncover, and let stand 30 minutes. Whisk together remaining 2 eggs and 2/3 cup milk, and pour over strata, gently pressing between layers of bread with a spoon or spatula to ensure that egg mixture seeps to bottom. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake until puffed and golden brown in places, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

BAKED SPINACH WITH FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Beat eggs in large bowl to blend. Mix in spinach, then cheese and tomatoes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil reserved from tomatoes in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until onions begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add to spinach mixture. Mix in salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
• Bake spinach mixture until set in center, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

CREAMY SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large lidded saucepan, add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 5-6 minutes until softening.
• Stir in the potato and continue to cook gently for 1 minute.
• Pour in the stock and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the potato starts to cook.
• Pour in the milk and bring up to a simmer, then stir in half the spinach and the lemon zest.
• Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the spinach has completely wilted down. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Pour the soup into a blender (preferably) or food processor, add the remaining spinach (this will keep the soup bright green and fresh tasting) and process until silky smooth (The soup may now be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in the microwave or overnight in the fridge.)
• Return to the pan and reheat. Taste and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. You may like to dilute the soup with a little extra stock if too thick. Ladle the soup into bowls and swirl in the cream.

CREAMY SPINACH SOUP WITH FONTINA TOAST

Steps:

• Prepare as directed for the master recipe, #166, making the substitutions listed.