Pistachio Soup

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This week's meat-free dish is adapted from Jerusalem, a Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  The book is just as beautiful as his vegetarian cookbook, Plenty.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 1 2/3 cups unsalted pistachios (I didn't remove the skins.  The soup didn't taste any different, but wasn't as bright a green.  For instructions on removing skins, see the cookbook)
• 2 tblsp butter
• 4 shallots, chopped
• just a little bit of chopped ginger (I used pre-chopped from a jar)
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 3 cups veggie broth (the recipe calls for chicken broth)
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 tblsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• sour cream for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Pour the boiling water over the saffron and let it sit for 30 minutes
2. Roast the pistachios in the oven for about 8 minutes.
3. Heat butter in a large pot and add shallots, ginger, leek, cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and some black pepper.  Saute until shallots are soft.  Add veggie broth and 1/2 of saffron liquid.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Put all but 1 tblsp of pistachios (this tbslp will be used for garnish) in a bowl along with half the soup.  Blend with a stick blender and then add back to the rest of the soup.  Add orange and lemon juice, reheat and adjust the seasonings.
5. Serve with pistachios, sour cream and remaining saffron liquid.  Serves 4.  

Enjoy!