Creamy Zucchini, Garlic & Chive Soup - or Zucchinicremesuppe - Austrian Style

Before I visited Vienna, the last thing I would have associated with the schnitzel-loving city was,  of all things, excellent  vegetable soups.  But in restaurant after restaurant, I had some of the best cream soups of my life, from karotten (carrot) to knoblauch (garlic) to brokkoli to zucchini.
All of these soups featured the vegetable in question prominently, but they also all had a strong garlic note that was always well balanced by the copious amounts of sweet heavy cream. Given the time of year we were there (March) I suspect many soups also contained barlauch, that curious chive-like plant that Poppa Trix and I tried in the Vienna Woods after we saw locals picking it:

Sadly there's no barlauch in Baltimore, so for my Austrian-style zucchinicremesuppe I went with chives to try to recreate some of that wild chive-y onion-y flavor, and rather than cream, I used Middle Eastern labne - sort of a cross between sour cream and yogurt. To balance out the garlic, I threw in a few new potatoes and a squeeze or two of lemon, for brightness, and I served it with a dollop of creme fraiche. The result was a lighter, more summer-y version of those luscious Viennese soups - and there was absolutely no sacrifice in flavor.

Austrian-Style Zucchini, Garlic & Chive "Cream" Soup

1 large shallot, chopped
4-5 new or fingerling potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 large zucchini, roughly chopped:

1 whole garlic bulb, cloves minced
handful of chives, chopped

enough vegetable broth to cover the vegetables
1- 11/2 cup labne
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

In a stockpot over medium heat, saute the shallots in olive oil until fragrant. Add the potatoes, zucchini, a few pinches of salt and some fresh ground black pepper and saute for a few minutes more. 

Add the chives and garlic; stir.

Add just enough vegetable broth to cover the vegetables plus about a quarter inch of liquid, cover  and simmer until very tender.  Next, take some of the hot liquid and temper the labne:

Slowly add all  of the labne into the soup and stir to combine. Next, whizz with an immersion blender until the desired consistency. 

I made mine very smooth - you could go crazy and strain it, but I didn't.  Now add the lemon juice and adjust  the seasonongs - more salt, pepper, lemon juice - to taste.  

Serve with creme fraiche and garnish with chive and lemon peel. 

Guten appetit!