• heavy saucepan with lid
• wooden spoon
• blender or food processor

• 6 artichoke hearts (fresh, frozen, or jarred)*
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 T butter
• 1 potato, peeled (optional) and diced
• 4 c vegetable stock
• salt
• pepper

Add potato and stock, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

Blend potato and artichokes with a little bit of the cooking liquid until smooth. Transfer back to the pan, season with salt and pepper, stir the purée into the remaining liquid, and reheat.

Serve immediately.

*Fresh artichokes: pull off the leaves, trim out the hairy choke, and blanch for a minute or two in boiling water with 2 T of lemon juice.
Frozen artichokes: thaw and drain well before using.
Jarred artichokes: make sure they are just in water, not marinated.

This recipe, originally called "Puréed Artichoke Soup with Garlic," or Purée d'artichauts in French, was adapted from The Vegetarian Bistro: 250 authentic French regional recipes, by Marlena Spieler.

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