Creamy Spinach and Pear Soup with Pancetta
A plain bowl of green soup is about as exciting as a cardboard cubicle, hence the decorative olive oil drizzle (ooo, pretty!) and sprinkle of crispy pancetta bits on top.
(And, oh man I can’t believe I’m doing this) but my ability to present and photograph a bowl of green soup has come a long way. Scary. At the same time, proof as to just how far I’ve come in 8 years (hint: a LONG way).
Something about the way a drizzle of olive oil (or even lemon olive oil, if you so desire) floats transparently on top of a bowl of creamy soup like a culinary Jackson Pollock makes my heart happy. Even if the soup itself is, well, just soup (I’ve never been much of a soup person, can you blame me?) But this one is surprising, even for me, with a fresh hit of spinach and fruity pear and a surprising creaminess for a soup that has no cream whatsoever (although I do admit to finishing it with a heaping spoonful of mascarpone cheese, do you blame me?)
Despite its grinchy green color, this soup has a heart the size of Houston, and is pretty healthy to boot.
It didn’t come together as effortlessly as it looks; rather, it required more than a few rounds of testing before it passed our stringent taste test.
Because the first time we made it, it tasted like a hot green smoothie.
Not good. Not bad, but not great either.
Next time around we added some pancetta bits and that made ALL the difference. It took it from an oddly sweet, fruity soup, to a bright and savory bowl of green goodness. The result is a fresh and fruity, yet surprisingly savory soup. Serve it with some fresh-baked crusty bread suitable for dipping.
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©2014 Love and Olive Oil
