Lettuce, silverbeet and parsley soup

This is a great way to use up an abundance of spring lettuces – and an especially good way of using up sprouting ones that may be a bit bitter as cooking them softens their flavour as well as texture!

Fresh from the garden: lettuce, silverbeet, parsley, potatoes, spring onions, bay
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

What to do:

• Wash and trim spring onions, removing & discarding the tough outer layer. Slice into 1cm bits.
• Wash and scrub potatoes, peel & cut into 2cm cubes.
• Wash the lettuce leaves & parsley in several changes of water and spin dry. Chop finely.
• Wash the silverbeet in several changes of water & shake dry. Remove & chop up the stems & the leaves but keep separate.
• Peel and press garlic cloves.
• Melt butter in the large stockpot over medium heat and sauté spring onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
• Add potato and bay leaves and turn so that the potato sweats in the butter. Stir with the wooden spoon.
• Add the water, bring to a simmer over medium heat then cover and cook gently over low heat for 10 minutes, then add the sliced silverbeet stalks.
• After 2 minutes check that the potato is tender, then stir in lettuce, parsley and silverbeet leaves, increase heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and turn heat off, adding salt to taste and a good grind of pepper.
• With dry hands, plug in the handheld mixer and carefully whizz the soup until it is silky smooth.
• Taste for correct seasoning and ladle into bowls to serve.

Notes: What other vegetables can be used for soup? How many different procedures are there in this recipe? Why do we want the potato to ‘sweat’?