INGREDIENTS

Dried Black Olives:
1 pound oil cured black olives

Sunchoke Soup:
1½ pounds sunchokes, chopped
2 small leeks or spring onions, white part only, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
8 cups chicken stock
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
Sea salt and white pepper

Olive Oil Milk Foam:
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

For the Dried Olives:
Pit the olives and slice in half lengthwise. Lay the olives on a wire baking rack making sure that they are in an even layer. Place the olives in the oven set to 150°F and leave overnight to dry. Place the dried olives in a food processor and pulse in 3-second intervals until the desired texture. Store in an airtight container.

For the Sunchoke Soup:
In a medium-size stock pot combine the sunchokes and leeks, and sweat in olive oil on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until the sunchokes are soft. Transfer the soup to a Vita-Prep® blender and puree on high for 2 minutes. As the soup purées, slowly incorporate the butter. Pass the blended soup through a chinois and season to taste with fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.

For the Milk Foam:
Combine milk and olive oil in a chilled bain maire and froth liquid using an espresso machine until the desired foam is achieved. A hand-held Vita-Prep® blender can be used to re-foam the milk.

To Assemble and Serve:
Reheat soup if necessary. Serve the soup in small bowls or espresso cups. Top with the warm olive oil milk foam and finish with the dried olive powder.

Wine Pairing:
Castello di Ama Rosato 2005