I have no idea where I found this recipe, but it came with this note: “Equally delicious warm or chilled, a simple pureed soup of lettuce, potato, onion, and chicken stock is seasoned with hints of parsley, nutmeg and lemon and fortified with a touch of cream. Unlike lettuce in the raw, the soup only gets better as it sits and can be gently reheated throughout the week.”
Storing lettuce: rinse the leaves and spin them dry in a salad spinner. If you have space, storing the leaves in the salad spinner is great. But that takes up a lot of room in the refrigerator. You can wrap the washed leaves in a dry tea towel and then drop that into a plastic bag that you don’t seal tight. I find that if I clean the lettuce when I get it home, I’m a lot more likely to add it to a sandwich or make it into a salad then if I have to do all that prep when I’m ready to eat.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 10 large outer leaves of lettuce, torn into pieces 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced 3 cups chicken stock 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup heavy cream Pinch of ground nutmeg 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon parsley leaves Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 4-quart saucepan. Add the onion and cook until beginning to soften. Add the lettuce, potatoes, chicken stock, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover the pot and reduce the heat so that the liquid stays at a brisk simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes depending on the size of your dice.
Off the heat, add the cream, nutmeg, lemon juice, parsley, and a bit of freshly ground black pepper. Carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot or cold. The soup will keep in the fridge for up to a week, and the flavor improves as it rests. Reheat gently before serving if desired.