Christmas is the feast commemorating the birth of Christ. It is fixed in the liturgical year as December 25th and is preceded by four week of fasting called Advent.Green Olive Soup
- 2 cups pitted green olives
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 shots Tabasco sauce
- 1/3 cup dry sherry
Garnish:
- Sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
- Garlic bread croutons
Soak the green olives in cold water for 1 hour. Drain and coarsely chop. Heat a frying pan and add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the onion, and garlic, along with two- thirds of the olives. Sauté until the onion is transparent. Puree the mixture in a food processor with 1 cup of the chicken stock.
In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the puree mixture with the remaining stock. Simmer for 20 minutes and add the cream. In a small frying pan, cook the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the flour together to form a roux. Whisk the roux into the soup and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add black pepper to taste, the remaining chopped olives, the Tabasco, and sherry. Heat to serving temperatures and serve with the sliced olive and croutons.
