Lettuce Soup

Name: Lettuce Soup
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 40g butter; 1 onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped; 1 medium potato, peeled and diced (for body); 2-3 whole lettuces (around 500g), washed and roughly shredded; 750ml chicken or vegetable stock; 1/4 cup cream; Handful of fresh chives or dill, chopped; Salt and pepper

The proper answer to lettuces bolting all at once: a quick simmered soup that uses whole heads and comes out bright green rather than grey.

Serves: 4Time: 30 min

Made with Lettuce

Ingredients

40g butter
1 onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and diced (for body)
2-3 whole lettuces (around 500g), washed and roughly shredded
750ml chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup cream
Handful of fresh chives or dill, chopped
Salt and pepper

Method

1.Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat and cook the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2.Add the potato and stock, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10-12 minutes until the potato is tender.
3.Stir in the shredded lettuce and cook for just 2-3 minutes, until it wilts down but is still bright green. Cooking it much longer than this is what turns the soup a dull khaki colour and brings out a bitter edge.
4.Blend until smooth, then stir through the cream and most of the herbs. Season to taste.
5.Serve warm, scattered with the remaining herbs.

This is the recipe for lettuces that have gone past their best for salad but aren't actually spoiled - slightly bitter or bolting heads soften right out once simmered.