Zucchini, Leek & White Bean Soup

I am still hanging on to summer, but since it's a cool rainy fall day, here is my first soup of the season. I have some zucchini left from the farmer's market on Sunday, so I am not totally giving in yet!

This soup is so easy to make, especially using store bought chicken stock and canned beans.

The smokey flavor of the Spanish paprika and Spanish sherry wine vinegar really makes this soup special.

A hand immersion blender is a necessity for soups, I couldn't live without mine.



Fall Zucchini, Leek & White Bean Soup: (adapted from Bitchin Camero)

3 large zucchini, diced
3 large leeks, trimmed and washed (white and light green parts only), sliced thin
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 cups of chicken stock
2 cans of white beans (cannellini or any white bean is fine)
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (not the sweet Hungarian variety)
1 tsp sherry wine vinegar
salt & pepper

for the basil oil:

2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
3 tbsp of good olive oil

In a large heavy pot, saute your leeks and garlic cloves in olive oil for a few minutes until soft.

Add the diced zucchini and chicken stock and bring to a boil.



Simmer the vegetables for about 5-7 minutes, until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy.

Rinse and drain your beans and add them to the pot. Basically, the soup is done now!



With an immersion hand blender or a regular blender, puree the soup in batches.
I like to keep some of the vegetables and beans whole, so I only puree about half of the pot.



Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Add a splash of sherry vinegar and the tsp of smoked paprika and mix in.



Before serving, swirl a bit of the basil oil on top and serve.