Spring appears in whispers and hushed tones, as the bellowing winter bows away. -Author Unknown
As the snow melts away after months of winter and the ground begins to thaw, my brave chives are always the first to poke their green stalks out of the ground. And while the other herbs in my garden just begin to show signs of life, my chives are ready for the first harvest. As soon as that happens, it’s time to whip up a batch of this potato, chive, and cheese soup. It’s a much anticipated tradition here; a celebration to mark the start of a new gardening season. It’s a rich and creamy soup, perfect for these still cool, damp days of spring, but with whispers and hushed tones of chives and Emmental. For additional allium flavour and visual appeal, it’s garnished with a drizzle of chive oil.
Potato, Chive, and Cheese Soup
(serves 6-8)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 300 g onions, diced
- 15 g garlic, chopped
- 100 g celery, sliced
- 600 g Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you prefer)
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
- 100 g Emmental, grated
- 1 cup milk
- 2-3 tsp salt as per your taste
- pepper to taste
- chive oil for drizzling
- Heat olive oil in a large pot (I use my 5.4 L stainless steel Dutch oven pot).
- Add onions and stir to coat and allow them to soften on medium heat.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in celery and potatoes.
- Add stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- Using a food processor or blender (I use an immersion blender directly in my Dutch oven pot), blend to obtain a smooth texture.
- Return to stove top.
- Over medium-high heat, add chives, cheese, milk and salt. Stir until cheese is completely melted.
- Cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with chive oil drizzled over it and freshly ground pepper.
Chive Oil
(yields about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup light olive oil
- 10-15 g fresh chives, chopped
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Using an immersion blender, blend all the ingredients for 1-2 minutes.
- Strain through a fine strainer and discard the solids.
- Use to drizzle over soups, as a base for a salad dressing or for making croutons.
conifères & feuillus 
Looks like a lovely spring soup!
the beginning os spring always seems like magic to me…so wonderful to see how nature comes back and all the green returns. The soup looks so comforting and creamy and loved the chive oil! sending you a big hug
Thank you dear! Hope you have a fantastic weekend! xo
Annika, this soup looks so delicious. Just so delicious. I’m a huge lover of soup, especially when there’s a potato element – so comforting – and coming into winter in New Zealand I will be making plenty of it. I’ve never put Emmental in a soup before so looking forward to trying it. Love the addition of the chive oil – chives won’t be planted in NZ again until October but always nice to keep a pot of them in the kitchen during winter. Thanks for the gorgeous recipe – can’t wait to try it.
Thank you Tracey. I know you love cheese as much as I do, and I assure you Emmental in a soup is as amazing as on its own. I kept a few herbs in pots this past winter, they didn’t always look too happy but they all did survive… just brought them outside this week.
Mmm great flavour combination. And lovely pics, as always. 🙂
Thank you Rini!
Thank you Sumith, you are always too kind!
Love potato and chive soup. That drizzle on top of the soup is brilliant. And great photography as usual.
Wow! Loved this creamy soup! Fantastic clicks!!
Thank you!
Delicious soup! Amazing pictures!
Thank you so much!
What a gorgeous soup, Annika! And such a clever idea the chive oil! Here, our chives are definitely not the first ones to come. Irises are. We still have to wait a bit for chives. Beautiful flavors in this soup, and I love creamy, smooth soups like this one.
P.s. We nominated you and your lovely blog in a Blogger recognition award “chain” that is going on. We’ve been nominated by someone and in our turn nominated some blogs we love, including yours. Here is our post (participation is optional): http://www.sugarlovespices.com/sour-cherry-mini-galettes/
A big thank you to both of you! Really, irises? Your garden must look gorgeous! And finally, congratulations on your nomination, it really doesn’t come as a surprise to me! Thank you so much for passing it on to me. I won’t be able to accept due to time restrictions, but rest assured that I am truly honoured and humbled that you thought of me. Have an amazing weekend!
That looks super delicious.
And the recipe is very well narrated.
Thank you!
Most welcome!
Amazing photos and very interesting recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much!