Artichoke Soup

Ingredients

• bacon
• vegetables
• butter
• artichokes
• 1.5 pint stock
• seasoning
• milk or cream
• bread

Method

Braising the bacon and vegetables in butter first is the foundation. Cut the bacon into lardons and dice the vegetables finely — carrot, celery, onion — so they collapse into the fat evenly. This isn't about colour; cook over medium heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables soften completely and the bacon renders its fat. You're building depth of flavour through the Maillard reaction at the vegetable surface, and the bacon fat will carry that throughout the finished soup.

Prepare the artichoke|artichokes while the base braises. Pare away the tough outer leaves and fibrous stem, halve lengthways, scoop out the hairy choke with a teaspoon, then slice the hearts thinly. The acid in artichokes oxidises quickly, so work steadily but don't store them raw for long. Add the artichoke slices and 850 ml of your stock to the pan. Bring to a bare simmer — a gentle boil that moves across the surface without rolling — and cook for 25–30 minutes until the artichokes disintegrate into the liquid. This slow cooking breaks down the cell walls and releases inulin, which will thicken the soup naturally.

Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the solids firmly with the back of a spoon to extract all the pulp and flavour. Return the strained liquid to the pan and season — salt, white pepper, perhaps a little nutmeg. Simmer for 5 minutes to let the seasoning settle. Pour in the boiling milk or cream slowly, stirring constantly; cold cream will shock the soup and curdle. The soup should be glossy and pale green, thickened by the artichoke pulp and enriched by the dairy. Skim any scum that rises.

Finish with sippets: cut stale bread into 1 cm cubes and fry them in clarified butter over medium heat until golden and crisp on all sides — 6–8 minutes, shaking the pan regularly. Float these alongside the soup in the bowl, or pass them separately so they hold their crunch.