How beautiful seasonal veggies turn into the perfect cup of soup.
Today was our first day with temperatures in the upper eighties and although it feels like spring is slowly giving way to summer, I cannot forget that we are in Utah and that, yes, it still gets cold and sometimes snows up to Labor Day.... Actually even beyond that on rare occasions.... I am dying to make a cold soup (cold beet soup with cucumber brunoise) but the temperature on some evening is still a little nippy, despite the heat lamps on our patio. Since we are still getting nettles and I have a profusion of greens in my walk-in cooler, I decided to make yet another batch of our popular Potage Printanier aux Orties, read Spring greens soup with nettles for all of you out there who do not parlez vous.... Indeed, lots of greens and spring vegetables come together to make a simply fantastic soup:
Leeks, parsley, fennel and fennel fronds, radish greens, stinging nettles, spinach, mustard, kale, arugula, watercress, to name a few. Since we have all our vegetables ready, here we go...
Everything gets minced, diced, chopped and is put in a large soup pot where is "sweats" and mingles together.... After a while, it is joined by blanched nettles, fennel fronds, radish and mustard greens. We then add vegetable stock, seasonings and a good dose of love (hey, it was Mother's Day today!)
Everything cooks until it is ready to be blended together.
After a while, the soup looks like this. does not look all too appetizing, however, the smell is delicious and permeates throughout the entire restaurant.
In the last minutes before blending, we add the more delicate greens such as spinach, arugula and such.
We then blend everything at high speed. The soup now has its final aspect... It is now time to taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.
... And here it is at last! We now have the produce of the season in a simple cup of soup!
Concentrated terroir in a cup! Mamie Angèle would be so proud!!!
