Pureed Hearts of Palm Soup

Most restaurants in Veracruz include a smooth pureed soup based on a vegetable (fresh corn, summer squash, leafy greens, or whatever) as part of the lunch special. Soups of this type —called cremas whether or not they actually contain cream — are incredibly simple (assuming you have a blender) and can be lovely vehicles for pure, direct vegetable flavor.

Crema de palmitos, a typical example, is made in Veracruz with the fresh hearts of young palm trunks. In the United