Another recipe to show that pretty much everything I make is easy--it just tastes fancy.
All I did here was saute 5 sliced Korean zucchini (they are plumper and lighter in color than regular zucchini)--maybe 2 lbs worth--in olive oil and butter along with one chopped onion and 5 cloves of chopped garlic. Wallie, age 5, was my sous chef and chopped the zucchini and garlic with her trusty butter knife.
After about 10 minutes I added 3 cups of chicken broth and let it all cook until the zucchini was very soft. Then I dumped in a can of cannelini beans (barely drained, you want to use some of the liquid), and then whizzed the whole thing until smooth with my stick blender.
The soup is delish and can be served at this point (it's creamy enough because of the beans), but just to gild the lily (and because I was ridding my fridge of holiday leftovers), I spooned in 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese (light cream cheese would work if you can't find mascarpone) into the puree and let that melt into the soup. (Do not let it boil.) Just before serving I tasted for salt and pepper. I ladled the soup into bowls and topped with mint chiffonade (and more pepper for mine). Both girls gave it two thumbs up and an "Mmmmm!"
