Zucchini Soup

This is an easy soup and it goes together real quickly. It's delicious & has a velvety, smooth texture. I had a bowl of it for lunch, today, with half a chicken salad sandwich. It's been raining all day so I'm planning Zucchini Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for tonight's dinner. This recipe came from my Mother, Cathy Black, her recipe notes say she discovered it in 1996 and credits the recipe to Marlene Sorosky. I have a number of Sorosky's books in my cookbook library. For years I made this soup with 2% milk before I realized it called for half and half. I bought the ingredients from memory, so today I used cream instead of half and half. Today I prepared a half recipe.

Zucchini Soup

3 lbs Zucchini
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (white pepper is wonderful in cream soups!)
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans Condensed Chicken Broth
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups half & half
Salt & white pepper to taste
chopped chives (optional garnish)

Wash and cut the zucchini into 1 inch pieces. Place in a saucepan or pot 6 quarts or larger. Add all ingredients up to (not including) half & half. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes.

Blend (by batches) in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. A blender gives a silkier texture, but beware blender lids can fly off when heated by hot liquid... to avoid burns and mess blend in small batches and hold down the blender jar lid with a folded kitchen towel, this will protect you from explosion & scalding splashes.

Return to the pan and stir in half and half. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Stir over moderate heat until heated through. Can be refrigerated or frozen at this point.

Serves 8