Immerse Me

Okay, this one’s for Beth. The past two times I’ve seen her, Beth has told me that after hearing me proclaim the virtues of an immersion blender, she asked (and received) one for Christmas. But, she’s still not sure what to do with it. Both times, we were surrounded by other friends who chimed in: “Soups! Sauces! Dips! Smoothies!” There was a chorus of blender uses.

My absolute favorite use of an immersion blender is for our Butternut Squash Soup. The blender, which you stick right in the pot, makes every soup the perfect smooth consistency. I also love it for Wild Mushroom Soup (see recipe below), Marinara Sauce, Potato Leek Soup, and Hummus. I love it for anything you want to blend but don’t want to haul out your food processor for.

We’ve given Beth some great ideas, but let’s come up with some more. What’s your favorite use for an immersion blender?

Wild Mushroom Soup
Serves 12

5 cups chicken stock
1 cup wine (madeira, sherry or white wine all work well)
2 ounces dried wild mushrooms (morels are best if available)
6 leeks, diced
2 onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stick unsalted butter
6 tablespoons flour
4 cups beef stock
2 pounds white mushrooms, stemmed and cut in half
salt and pepper to taste

Combine madeira/wine with dried mushrooms and 1 cup of chicken stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let stand for 20 minutes. In large soup pot, melt butter and sautee onions, garlic, and leeks for about 10 minutes. Add flour, mix gently, and cook for about five more minutes. Add the rest of the chicken stock, beef stock, white mushrooms, dried mushrooms in liquid, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 45 minutes.
Turn off heat, and blend in pot using an immersion blender to desired smoothness. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve garnished with a few mushroom slices and diced chives.