Those who know the La Scala Chopped Salad might not be as familiar with their lesser known staple, Ortolana Soup. It's an amazing simple vegetable puree. I like to make this batch and freeze half of it. My tip - fill small single serve containers so you aren’t defrosting an entire half batch at once.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp olive oil
3 leeks, cleaned and sliced (use only the white and light green part)
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 medium zucchini, sliced
3 medium white rose potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1½ Tbsp tomato paste
6 cups chicken stock (sub vegetable stock)
1 cup drained garbanzo beans
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
JF Universal Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

TOPPINGS:

JF Universal Salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
Italian parsley, chopped fine
Lemon zest

PROCESS:

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan on medium heat. Add the leeks and sauce for approximately 5 minutes, until softened. Add the carrots, zucchini and potatoes. Stir for approximately 5 more minutes as the vegetables begin to soften.

 

Add the tomato paste and chicken stock and let simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the garbanzo beans and cook for another 3 minutes or until heated through. Add JF Universal Salt and pepper.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender in the soup pot until pureed. Add the parsley and taste for seasoning.