Lettuce Soup

1 cup of chopped onions
1 garlic of clove, chopped
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon of ground coriander
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup of potato, peeled and diced small
8 cups of coarsely chopped lettuce leaves including the ribs (about 3/4 pound)
3 cups of a fine vegetable broth

In a soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the onion and the garlic in 2 tablespoons butter over moderately low heat, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir often.

Add the coriander, the salt, and the pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Stir in the potato, the lettuce, and the water. Bring it all to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the potato is very tender, about 10 minutes or so.

Purée the soup.

Return the pureed soup to a simmer. Whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter and adjust the seasoning.

　

Note: You can use scallions or shallots instead of the onion. Leeks also work well.

Add some crushed pepper for fun.

A variety of greens including beet greens, bok choy, and kale may be used instead of the lettuce.

Play around with this, it’s a great basic recipe.