I know that it sounds odd to cook lettuce, but please keep reading. We cook spinach and lots of other greens, after all. And watercress soup is a classic. Years ago when I worked at a French restaurant outside Philadelphia (The Spring Mill Cafe, and it's still there!), this was a regular item on the menu. It was delicious and a great way to use up leftover salad greens.
Our children love thick potato-based soups, and this one was no exception. When I'm not sure whether the kids will like something new, I usually have them play a game to guess the ingredients. They have to taste the dish to guess what's in it, and by the time they have guessed any unusual ingredients, they have already had a bite or two and aren't influenced just by knowing what's in the bowl. I'm not above a bit of trickery. In this case, the children thought the soup tasted like potato-leek soup, although I find that it has a sweetness that differentiates it.
This is an easy dish to throw together, too, and we often have the ingredients on hand to make it. The technique of mixing in a couple of egg yolks to thicken the soup comes from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The eggs also add a bit of protein. We have eaten this soup as a main course with salad and bread to warm us up on cold winter's nights. It even sustained us through a snowstorm or two.
Creamy Lettuce Soup
This recipe is a great way to use up wilted lettuce or those outer leaves that have seen better days. don't use anything brown or slimy, though, as that will give the soup an off flavor.
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups chopped onion (about 3 medium)
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups diced potatoes
6 cups vegetable stock or 1 bouillon cube and 6 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups chopped lettuce
2 egg yolks (save the whites to make meringues)
1/2 cup milk or cream
Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it has softened, 7 or 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir until it has been fully incorporated. Add the potatoes and stir to coat them with the butter. Add the salt, and vegetable stock or bouillon cube and water. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the lettuce. Cook until the lettuce is completely wilted but still green, about 5 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender.
Just before you are ready to serve the soup, whisk together the egg yolks and milk or cream. While whisking, add a few ladlefuls of the soup and incorporate the egg mixture completely. Add the egg-soup mixture back into the soup pot and stir it in. If necessary, warm the soup over low heat, but do not allow it to simmer. Serve hot.
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