Artichoke Sourdough Bisque
Created By Chef Tony Baker, Montrio Bistro, Monterey, CA
Servings: 8
Portion Size: 8 fl. Oz. Ladle's
Prep: 10 mins.
Cook: 30 mins.
This is a healthy and delicious soup that is simple to make and can be ready in about 40 mins. The chef does not using any cream or butter just a little olive oil. To thicken the soup instead of using a heavy roux or potatoes, I added just a slice and a half of sourdough bread to thicken 2 quarts of soup.
Ingredients:
- 4 ea Extra Large Artichokes
- ½ cup Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 ea Yellow Onion, medium
- 1 ea Leek
- 1 ea Celery stalk
- 5 ea Garlic cloves
- 3½ oz Sourdough Bread (1 ½ slices approx)
- 4 ea Sage leaves, fresh
- 1 sprig Thyme, fresh
- 6 cups Chicken stock
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Using a sharp serrated knife, trim the artichoke all the way down to the heart. Using a spoon scrape away the fuzzy choke and discard. You can also peel the stem and use that in the soup, since the stem is an extension of the heart. When your artichokes are cleaned, roughly slice.
- Wash and roughly chop all of the vegetables.
- Heat the oil in a large thick-bottomed pan.
- Sweat (to sauté without color) the artichokes, onion, leek, garlic, celery and thyme, until tender.
- Add the chicken stock, vegetable stock could also be used.
- Gently simmer the soup for 20 Mins.
- Add the roughly chopped sourdough bread and sage.
- Simmer for a further 3-5 mins
- In small batches, puree the soup using either a blender, food processor or immersion blender. A conventional blender should produce a nice smooth creamy soup.
- Place all of the soup into a clean saucepan, reheat, check-seasoning (use caution when using canned or packaged broth as they can contain a lot of sodium) Season with fresh ground black pepper.
About Tony Baker:
Chef Tony Baker started his career in England. Following graduation from culinary school in Bristol, Tony worked in several highly acclaimed restaurants around the country including: Hintlesham Hall and Lucknam Park Hotel, often cooking for both royalty and political figures.
In 1994 he made the move to the United States and has since then been a part of Monterey's Downtown Dining Group, starting first at Rio Grill then moving to Montrio Bistro in 1997. Tony has been leading the team at Montrio ever since, serving up many trademark dishes.
The celebrated local Chef, local radio voice, and television personality is doing his part to help elevate the nation's culinary standards. Throughout the years, Tony has demonstrated his uncanny ability to bring people together for good food, good fun, and a good cause. Often offering up his talents for local causes and community events, Tony, with his dedication to organic and sustainable ingredients, is reaching out locally and nationally to help others in their quest for good quality food.
Montrio Bistro
414 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 648-8880
Restaurant website: http://www.montrio.com
Chef's website: http://www.cheftonybaker.com
