This is an adaptation of Laura Calder's green soup, as featured on "French Cooking at Home". It's an extremely versatile recipe: feel free to change it to your taste. I often use salad greens that are starting to go a bit wilty, but I've also successfully used dandelion greens, collard greens, baby and 'regular' spinach and even Boston lettuce. You really can't go overboard on the greens either, because they wilt down so much: of course, the taste will change depending on what you use, ranging from the slightly bitter to the downright sweet. The amounts of potato and peas are also flexible: you can even skip them entirely. If you use potato, make sure you cook it enough, as undercooked potato can be difficult to blend. Sometimes I've even added a splash of cream or a dollop of yogurt at the end to give it an extra-rich texture. I can also imagine tossing in some feta cheese, too. And which seasoning to use? Well, you don't have to use seasoning at all if you don't want to, but I'm a fan of fresh parsley in this. If I don't have that, I often use dried sage instead. Do you like mint? That would work very, very well, too! Once again -- experiment!
1 onion, minced (or if you have it, a chopped leek is even better)
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
~1 cup potato, chopped
1/2 cup to 1 cup frozen green peas
3-4 cups water or broth
Your choice: bunch of dandelion greens (parboiled, then soaked in cold water), baby spinach, Spring mix greens, any variety of lettuce
Seasoning of your choice: chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh basil, 1 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp rosemary...
salt and pepper to taste
- Sauté the onion in olive oil or butter for a few minutes until golden in a medium or large soup pot.
- Add the potatoes and stir until well-coated. Add the water or broth; cover and bring to a boil.
- Cook potatoes until tender, at least 15 minutes.
- Add the peas, greens and seasoning; cook a few minutes more until the greens have wilted.
- Remove from heat; add dairy, if using; blend with an immersion blender, or carefully in a stand-up blender, until smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste; ladle into bowls and garnish with Romano cheese.
