Artichoke Soup

[Chef]

20 fresh artichokes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 lemons, sliced
2 fluid ounces olive oil
1/2 cup celery, small dice
1/2 cup leeks, small dice
1 cup white onions, small dice
1/2 cup shallots, small dice
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 quart vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
5 ounces truffles, sliced
opal basil oil
Servings: 10
1. Simmer the artichokes in salted lemon water until tender. Remove them from the water and cool in an ice bath. Peel away the leaves. Remove the hearts and bottoms and dice them.

2. In a soup pot, heat the olive oil and add the celery, leeks, onions, shallots and garlic and sauté until tender.

3. Add the diced artichokes, bay leaf and stock and simmer for approximately 45 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaf, purée the soup in a blender and strain through a chinois.

5. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper and adjust the consistency with additional stock if necessary.

6. Pour the soup into hot soup bowls. Garnish with sliced truffles and Opal Basil Oil and serve.