After Rachel Karten of Link in Bio recently uncovered a viral scam (of the feta variety), I couldn’t help but feel tempted to give the concept a go (albeit from a slightly different angle). In a nutshell: Athenos Feta devised an ambitious (though ultimately not particularly successful) campaign attempting to manufacture virality by hiring a bunch of influencers, including Emily Mariko and Rachl Mansfield to recreate and film a butternut squash and feta soup recipe using their feta.
There was, of course, a true viral #feta moment a few years ago that - while it didn’t break the internet - supposedly caused a feta shortages in Finland and across parts of the US. Everyone and their mom was baking up trays of cherry tomatoes and feta, and stirring it all up with cooked pasta.
Viral or not, feta (especially when roasted and blended) can play a transformative role in a recipe by imparting a luxurious creaminess. As the heat coaxes the feta to melt and meld with surrounding flavours, its richness is amplified, turning a very simple dish into an indulgent and ✨fun✨ one.
This smooth and herby feta, leek, and zucchini soup starts in an oven dish and ends in a blender for a smooth and creamy finish. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: a high-powered blender is your friend here! I’ve been a die-hard Vitamix user for over 10 years (still not sponsored, just a huge fan) and I wholeheartedly recommend it for the smoothest, silkiest, and most vibrantly coloured soups.
This soup is ready in about an hour, with only 5ish minutes of hands-on work. No stirring, no excessive chopping, but LOTS of spare time to watch an episode (I’m late to the game but currently very deep into Yellowjackets). It’s definitely not reinventing the wheel, it’s just giving a bunch of basic ingredients a new groove.
Ingredients
To serve 4:
1 leek (white parts chopped roughly, green parts chopped finely)
2 zucchini, quartered length-wise then roughly chopped
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1 block of full-fat feta (reserve about 2 tb to use as topping)
3-4 tablespoons
1 bag of baby spinach, washed
1-2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth (depends on how thiccc you like your soups)
Toppings:
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts
Fried leek tops
2 tb crumbled feta
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit). Nestle your chopped leeks, zucchini, shallots, garlic cloves, and feta into an oven-proof dish, and drizzle the olive oil all over. Season generously with salt and pepper, then place in the oven for 45 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting, start preparing your leek ends. Heat up a splash of olive oil in a small pan, and cook them on high until golden and crispy (stirring often to prevent them from burning).
Once the vegetables are done, pop everything into your blender, along with the baby spinach and broth. Blend blend blend until it’s bright green and super smooth (without the spinach, this soup would still be delicious, but it would have the complexion of a pale and sickly Victorian child).
Serve hot topped with a few tablespoons of crumbled feta, some toasted hazelnuts, and crispy leek ends.
Thank you for tuning in!