Quick ideas
Lettuce soup
This quick, vegetarian soup is far nicer than it sounds! A great way of transforming slightly limp lettuce into a delicate starter rather than letting it mould in the back of the fridge. This can be eaten warm or chilled, with a few ice cubes in place of the croutons.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 250g lettuce leaves and stalks, sliced
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 litre light chicken stock or water
- 150ml double or whipping cream
- 1 large egg yolk
- fresh parsley or chevil, chopped
- salt and pepper
Method
-
Step 1
Melt the butter and cook the onion and garlic for five minutes, slowly. Add the lettuce and mix everything together for 1 minute then sprinkle with flour. Stir again and cook for a further minute then gradually add the stock or water. Simmer for 5 minutes.
-
Step 2
Purée the soup in a blender, pour into a rinsed out bowl and strain. If puréeing has made the soup too thick, dilute it with water. Add seasoning to taste. Bring the soup back to the boil.
-
Step 3
In a soup tureen, whisk cream and egg yolk together, pour on a ladle of boiling soup and whisk again, then add the rest of the soup.
-
Step 4
Stir in some chopped parsley. Serve with croutons.
