Spring Greens Soup

While the pastel colors of dyed eggs this time of year are one common association with the arrival of March and April, the linking of spring and green hues is even stronger. In the April 1986 issue of Bon Appétit, the RSVP column answered a reader’s request to procure the recipe for Cream of Spring Greens Soup from the Alexis Hotel in Seattle. This soup looked appealing to me because of its simple ingredient list and preparation steps. It also seemed a great dish to celebrate the budding trees and blooming daffodils.

Keeping It Green

However, I also saw reasons to make a few changes to the original recipe. It called for simmering the fresh greens for 20-30 minutes. Cooking spinach that long seemed unnecessary and a guarantee of losing the vibrant green color I was aiming for. The directions also called for a whole cup of whipping cream to finish off the soup. I felt I could use much less cream since the potatoes within the broth would add a velvety texture.

When I noticed that the recipe lacked the use of any aromatics for flavoring or incorporating the tips of the asparagus stalks in the recipe, I turned to some British chefs for advice. First, a soup at the BBC’s website Good Food suggested using briefly cooked asparagus tips as a garnish for the soup. I like the idea of garnishes hinting at what hides within a creamy soup.

I also read in Nigel Slater’s great book Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch that using butter instead of oil to sauté spinach helps to eliminate what he calls the “furry teeth” sensation some folks get when eating cooked spinach. Since I was planning to add some shallots to the recipe, I figured I could sauté the asparagus tips in butter, and then add the shallots, building the soup from there. I would have my garnish and my aromatics without any extra mess!

I decided to simmer the fresh spinach for only five minutes, and that timing worked beautifully–in taste, texture, and color.

Keeping It Simple

As the recipe card notes, the original directions called for putting the pureed soup through a fine sieve into another saucepan before adding the cream. Being a devotee of one-pot meals, I decided to skip this step. This one-pot idea is why I turned to my immersion blender for this task.

Of course, you can transfer the soup to a blender to puree it, but be careful with the hot liquid.

If you want to make this a vegetarian soup, you can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.  You can also use a variety of fresh greens in place of or in addition to spinach, depending on what you find at the market and like to eat. I had spinach on hand, and we loved the fresh, verdant, yet fulfilling taste of this springtime treat.

Spring Greens Soup

Dawn Dobie

Verdant creamy soup to celebrate spring

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the soup

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 16 asparagus spears very woody bottoms removed
• 2-3 medium shallots peeled and finely diced
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut in ½ inch dice
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups fresh spinach leaves stemmed
• ¼ cup whipping cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the garnish

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ½ fresh lemons
• Reserved cooked asparagus tips

Instructions

 

For soup

• Cut or break off asparagus tips, about 3 inches in length, and set aside. Chop remaining parts of asparagus spears into ½ inch pieces and set aside.
• Melt butter over medium high heat in deep pot. Add asparagus tips and toss around in butter for about 90 seconds. Remove to a plate using a slotted spoon and reserve for garnish.
• Add chopped shallots to butter and lower heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes, until the shallots are translucent, stirring frequently.
• Add the parsley and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add the potatoes and stir well. Pour in the chicken broth, turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.
• When the broth is boiling, add the ½-inch asparagus stalk pieces. Lower the heat to simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the asparagus stalk pieces and potatoes are very tender.
• Add the spinach, stir to submerge the leaves, cover the pot partially and simmer 5 minutes.
• Using an immersion blender, carefully blend soup until it is a smooth consistency. (Or carefully transfer portions of the soup to a blender to puree until smooth.)
• Add whipping cream and stir well to combine.
• Add juice of one lemon to the soup. Salt and pepper the soup to taste.

To serve

• Thinly slice remaining half lemon. Heat asparagus spears in microwave, covered with wax paper, for 30 seconds.
• Serve bowls of soup garnished with chopped parsley, asparagus spears, and at least one lemon slice. per bowl

Notes

The original recipe called for putting the soup through a sieve (in order to remove any fibrous asparagus or spinach remainders) before adding the whipping cream. We found the soup to be smooth and satisfying without this step.
The original recipe offers the suggestion of using sorrel, mâche, or watercress in place of or in addition to the spinach. I had only spinach on hand, so I did not use a mixture of greens.
To make this a vegetarian soup, you can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Adapted from Terry Blasio of Seattle's Alexis Hotel - Bon Appétit (April 1986)