Hot Banana Soup - Not!

Surely you can't wait to seduce your taste buds into a hot banana soup? Wait until you've tasted the One-of-Each Soup on page 14 of Cook & Tell. You'll be adding a banana into this easy-peasy and flexible soup..and you'll love it! 

As the title of the recipe suggests, you need one of each:

Apple, Banana, Onion, Potato

The recipe also calls for a cup of cream or half & half. I'd had an adverse reaction to a creamy and delicious Wild Mushroom Soup recently, so wanted to cut back on the cream - or eliminate if possible. I remembered a trick that I learned from The New Laurel's Kitchen Cookbook: use a potato for creaminess. The "Potato-Kale Soup" in that cookbook is one of my go-to, stand-by, crowd-pleasing favorites. The potato I had, however, left a lot to be desired...

but was acceptable when peeled.

I also threw in five radishes; I had them in the fridge and their leaves were starting to liquefy. Along with the vegetables and fruit, curry powder and ginger were added. Then the covered pot went onto the stove. I brought it to a boil, reduced the heat so there was a low simmer, and added a cover. It cooked for 10 minutes and looked like this...can you see all the fruits and vegetables?

Once the ingredients were sufficiently mushy, I pureed until silky smooth with my KitchenAid stick blender; couldn't live without it. Especially in an apartment with limited kitchen storage space, the stick blender works  well. I stirred in tiny bits of butter, garnished with slivers of radish and chopped chives.

Damn! Ready in less than an hour, this is one amazing soup. It's easy to adapt with what's in your fridge. The soup could also be served cool on a hot day, but I wouldn't recommend freezing. Effortlessly complex, endlessly versatile, highly forgiving. Make it tonight.

One-Of-Each Soup

adapted from Cook & Tell

1 apple, peeled and chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 banana, peeled and chopped

1 celery heart, chopped - leaves included

1 t salt

2 c chicken stock

1 1/2 T butter

1 t curry powder

1/2 t ginger

Place the veggies, stock, and spices into a pot and bring to boil. Simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree until silky smooth. Garnish with chives, slivers of radish. Serve hot or cold; adapt ingredients based on what's in your fridge.