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Follow Jewish TimesMay 22, 2009
Chilled Hungarian Green Bean Soup
Dairy
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds haricot vert (French string beans)
1 Vidalia onion or large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons dry Vermouth or dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
10 cups water
2 small (14-ounce) cans of vegetable broth, on hand if needed
1 1/2 cups reduced fat sour cream
3 teaspoons white vinegar, or more if needed
Garnish: fresh chives, cut into 1/4-inch snips
Directions
1. Rinse beans under water and dry on paper towels. Trim off ends and cut beans horizontally into 1/4-inch lengths.
2. Place beans, onion, garlic, potato, dill, salt, Vermouth, tarragon, and water into a large pot. Cover pot and gently simmer on a medium flame, stirring occasionally so potatoes don’t stick to pot. You’ll need the broth, so don’t let it boil away. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes soften when pierced with a sharp knife.
3. Cool bean mixture to room temperature. With a slotted spoon, move potato chunks to a plate and reserve.
4. Place a colander over a large bowl. Pour contents of pot through the colander and wait until broth drains completely.
5. In 3 batches, place potato, broth, sour cream, and vinegar into a blender. Puree ingredients. Pour contents into a large bowl. Mix in bean mixture from colander.
6. If soup seems too thick, slowly add vegetable broth to thin to desired consistency. Taste and add more vinegar (a teaspoon at a time), if necessary. Soup is supposed to have a pleasantly sour tang.
7. Cover bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Soup tastes best when made the day before. Serve in soup bowls garnished with chive snippets. Yield: 8 servings