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
Equipment:
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Ingredients:
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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’?
The Bondi Cook 