Green Soup

From Veg Out, MQ Publications, 2003.

In Veg Out this was called ‘Glorious Green Soup’. I thought I’d just settle for ‘Green Soup’. I was not sure whether the name meant the colour or the taste. Actually, on reading a little further I found that it meant the full-of-goodness flavour. I still settled for plain green.

A chopped onion was added to the pot with a little olive oil and sautéed for a few minutes to soften it. Then a large potato, peeled and cut into pieces, went in for a few more minutes. I then added 600ml water and a stock cube, brought the mixture to the boil, then simmered it until the potato was cooked.

While the potatoes cooked I finely sliced about a quarter of an iceberg lettuce, and sliced up the head of a bunch of watercress. This went into the pan when the potatoes were cooked, was brought to the boil again and then simmered for about 5 minutes. I let it cool a little and then used the stick blender to puree the soup.

A little milk was added and the soup was seasoned. A few leaves of basil were chopped and added. The soup was heated up but not boiled before serving.

Well, I think it was appropriate to leave out ‘glorious’. It was a pleasant soup. Peppery watercress is always a favourite and this one came with an underlay of the mild iceberg lettuce. The recipe called for Romaine or Cos lettuce and I think this may have been better having a little stronger flavour. Nevertheless it all went down well.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔