Faced with too much of one vegetable, my go-to strategy is to make soup. It’s a matter of peering inside the vegetable crisper and thinking, Oops, those carrots are getting old – or, Why did I buy all those expensive mushrooms? The answer to this veg dilemma is: make soup.
I had a head of lettuce that had been languishing in the fridge, and no desire to chop it into salad. It was attractive to look at; the leaves small, varicolored red and green, with frilly tops. But the ribs were oddly tough, rather than crisp, and the flavor somehow too strong.
So I stood contemplating it. The outer leaves had gotten brown and slimy, but after I stripped all that away, I saw that the heart of the lettuce was sound. Waste not, want not, I thought. How about soup?
Of all my cookbooks, only one had a recipe for lettuce soup – a French chiffonade served cold. But the Internet yielded a number of recipes. People’s enthusiastic comments pushed me farther in as I realized how easy the recipe is, and how adaptable. Substitute a cup of chopped, mixed salad greens, arugula, or spinach for part of the lettuce to get a deeper green color. Some throw in a handful of peas, or a quarter-cup diced cooked potatoes, or cook in a tablespoon of rice for more body.
One comment struck a note with me: don’t make it too fancy if you want the delicate lettuce flavor to come through, or in the end you’ll have just a vegetable soup. I decided to keep it simple, as I was curious. And was surprised and pleased at how tasty and soothing lettuce soup really is.
Note: you can choose to go vegan with this soup: omit the dairy and substitute olive oil.
Lettuce Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic chopped
- 3 cups water
- 8 cups lettuce leaves clean and coarsely chopped
- 1 small handful parsley or celery leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional but recommended: 2 tablespoons fresh or sour cream
- Fresh lemon juice to taste
- Choose one or more optional garnishes to float on the soup: thin slices of fresh radish halved cherry tomatoes, a little finely chopped cilantro or dill, a drizzle of olive oil, toasted sliced almonds, croutons.
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Don’t let it brown.
- Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add water, bring to a simmer, and cook, covered, until vegetables are very tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add lettuce and parsley and cook until wilted and softened, 2-4 minutes.
- Blend the soup until very smooth. I used a stick blender right in the pot, having first removed it from the heat and allowed the soup to cool somewhat before blending.
- Add the fresh or sour cream; blend again.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Here’s where you add lemon juice for bright flavor - from a quarter to half a medium lemon. Taste and judge, but don’t let the lemon overwhelm the soup.
- Eat it hot, tepid or cold. It’s good hot, but I like it best tepid, drizzled with olive oil and drunk out of a cup. It would also be pleasant served cold on a summer evening, with crusty bread or crackers. Enjoy!
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
