Chilled Edamame and Bacon Soup

 

So I know this soup sounds weird.  Edamame soup?  With bacon?  And chilled no less?  But sometimes weird is fun and good, so I figured why not give it a shot.  And the soup even looks weird.  It's all minty and pastel.  And in the picture Alex took it looks like it's floating around like Slimer from Ghostbusters.  Haha.  I was originally looking for a corn-bacon chowder recipe, but when I came across this recipe it intrigued me enough to make me stop and make it instead.  One of the first things that drew me here is that I love edamame and I mean I really love it.  When I go out for sushi I am perfectly happy to gorge myself on an entire bowl of edamame with a side of sushi.  I used to eat it so much that I even got my mom hooked on it after college.  We would go to Cost Co or Sam's Club and buy these individual packs of edamame that you cooked in the microwave and just snack on edamame by the handful.

And I generally love edamame.  I really do.  But this soup?  I don't love it.  Alex referred to it as porridge and the texture was somewhat grainy and gruel-like.  The flavor was nice, but the texture was just not appetizing.  And I guess I can't really blame that on the edamame itself.  The soup just wasn't meant to be.  But you win some, you lose some, right?

Recipe after the jump!

Chilled Edamame and Bacon Soup

Adapted from The Bacon Cookbook

By James Villas

INGREDIENTS:

6 slices center-cut bacon

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

two 10-oz. packages frozen shelled edamame

s&p

2 scallions, white and greens, chopped

In a large skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat until crisp.  Drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tbsp bacon fat, and crumble.

Heat reserved bacon fat in a large heavy saucepan (a Le Creuset is perfect) over moderate heat.  Add onion and stir until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add broth, water, edamame, and s&p.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the edamame are tender, about 10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), puree the soup.  Add the crumbled bacon, stir well, and heat over moderate heat for 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and let the soup cool.  Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours.  Serve in soup bowls and sprinkle chopped scallions over the top of each portion.