Cream of Green Garlic Potato soup is a simple soup takes a bit longer than the traditional version but is worth the time for the soup’s rich, thick, creamy texture and a unique taste. The green garlic flavor is subtle yet prominent and mellows nicely combined with potato and cream. This soup is overwhelming with distinctive flavors, refreshing and soothing to the palate.
This is a remarkable springtime soup, light and creamy, having a coarse texture. The small mashed pieces of potatoes, green garlic and bacon gives an amazing feeling while having the soup. The potatoes add substance while cream adds a smooth and silky creaminess to the dish.
No flourish is wasted here and a final sprinkling of chopped parsley or chive or leek adds just the right herbal note. Potato is a versatile tuber and can be added to any greens or vegetables to make an appetizing soup such as Leek Potato soup, Potato and Cheese soup, Onion Potato soup and many more.
Normally there are a variety of healthy and nutritious soups that we can prepare which are full of nutrients, vibrant and light but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and to eat. Green garlic can be included with asparagus or peas or beet greens. Green garlic are tender generous cloves, enrobed in several layers of soft, moist, pinkish skin, almost juicy and their flavor are less pungent than that of regular garlic.
The bulb of freshly harvested green garlic look a lot similar to spring onion or even leeks because they haven’t set cloves yet. Once the cloves appear, the garlic looks more familiar; still, the green stems will be attached, and you must remove several layers of moist skin to get to the cloves.
Many researchers believe that garlic, green or mature, may help lower cholesterol, triglyceride levels and blood pressure. Some of its constituents, including allicin, vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese and selenium, may provide cardiovascular benefits.
This recipe makes good use of wonderful, quintessential springtime green garlic and pick of new potatoes, and any vegetable stock you might have around in the freezer. The soup is green-tasting and bright, almost sharp, and is even better the next day with a swirl of crème fraîche and a hunk of crusty bread.
If you do not have green garlic then you can also use mature garlic but would be powerful and pungent in taste whereas green garlic has a very subtle, mild, even delicate flavor, like a cross between garlic and fresh chives. Most people who have trouble digesting regular garlic, or simply don't enjoy its pungency, will find green garlic easy on the stomach, mild, and very pleasant.
To prepare this creamy Green garlic potato soup, add little olive oil and 2 oz minced prosciutto to a soup pot, and place over medium heat. When the prosciutto is cooked and starting to get crisp, add 3 cups sliced green garlic. Cook stirring for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 quart chicken broth and 4 medium russet potatoes. Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes and green garlic is tender. Use more broth as needed.
You can use a potato masher to break up any large pieces of potato. Use a stick or regular blender to puree about 70% of the soup, and leave the rest unblended for texture. Add ½ cup cream, and season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Once the soup is heated through, drizzle each serving with a little extra virgin olive and finely chopped fresh chives on top.
Green garlic potato soup makes one exceptional hell of a good soup. Its flavor, once simmered slowly with potatoes and a bit of pork, is somewhere right in the middle between raw garlic and sweet caramelized onions. The role of pork in this soup is being played by chopped-up prosciutto scraps and does a fabulous job in letting out its unique taste and flavor. You could also substitute ham or bacon with proscuitto.
Green garlic is amazingly an interesting ingredient. The flavor of green garlic is still garlicky, but is much milder with less of a bitter bite. When cooked, the green garlic sweetens, lending a new layer of depth to a dish. Some cooks use green garlic instead of mature garlic or scallions for a different flavor in a favorite dish, and others invent entirely new dishes to showcase the mild flavor of green garlic. It can be used raw or cooked in a broad assortment of cuisines. I hope you give this a try.
Enjoy Cooking!