Provence Artichoke Soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cups vegetable stock (or water)
• 5 artichoke hearts, cut into quarters (14 oz. can or a 9 oz. pkg. frozen artichokes will work)
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1/3 teaspoon crumbled saffron
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• fresh ground black pepper
• fresh parsley, chopped
• thinly sliced lemon, rounds

1. Warm up the olive oil in a nonreactive soup pot. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, salt, and bay leaves and saute on medium heat 10 minutes, stirring often. Add stock and bring to boil; then lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Add artichoke hearts, sherry, and saffron to soup pot and continue simmering for 5 minutes.
3. Now stir in the lemon juice, orange juice, and orange peel, simmer for another 5 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Remove and discard bay leaves.
4. Serve garnished with the parsley and thin slices of fresh lemon. Enjoy!

olive oil, onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, salt, bay leaves, vegetable stock, hearts, sherry, crumbled saffron, lemon juice, orange juice, orange rind, fresh ground black pepper, fresh parsley, lemon

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/provence-artichoke-soup-264478 (may not work)