Forager’s Soup
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 4tablespoons butter
- 1cup diced onion
- 1medium potato, peeled and diced
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2cups chicken or vegetable stock, or hot water
- 1½cups whole milk
- ¼cup heavy cream
- About 8 ounces (4 cups) mixed chopped spring greens, like sorrel, watercress, ramps, arugula, dandelion or chives
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 3ounces chorizo or bacon, finely diced
- Wild garlic or chive flowers (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into the top of a heavy pot. Melt butter in pot over medium-high heat. When it foams, add onion and potato and stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to very low, rest parchment paper (to trap steam) on top of vegetables. Cover with lid and cook gently 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft; they should not brown at all.
- Step 2
Heat stock (or water), milk and cream in a saucepan until just simmering. Remove parchment from vegetables. Add hot liquid to vegetables and simmer until potatoes and onions are fully cooked, 5 to 10 minutes more. Add greens and simmer uncovered 2 to 3 minutes until greens are just cooked through (do not cover pot or overcook, or else bright green color will be lost.) In a blender or with a hand blender, purée until smooth. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Heat oil in a small skillet. Add chorizo or bacon and cook until fat is rendered and meat is crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Reserve cooking oil.
- Step 4
Recipe can be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated. When ready to serve, gently reheat soup over medium-low heat, uncovered. On top of each bowl, scatter chorizo or bacon bits, sprinkle a few drops of oil and garnish with flowers, if using.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Another green not to be overlooked are nettles. Carefully gather them with gloves in the early spring when they are less than 1 foot tall. Just break off the stem and place it in a bag. When you get ready to use them you just steam them and chop as needed or blend as the case may be. After steaming they can no longer sting you.
Great and easy! I used spinach and the green parts of green onions and added a bit of chopped leek for part of the onion because that was what I had in the refrigerator and the soup turned out very well.
I just made this today with 6oz of sorrel and 2oz of nasturtium leaves. I used homemade chicken stock. Followed the recipe to a tee, except we had as is-without any garnishes. It was fabulous!
A favorite springtime recipe with our local woods teeming with ramps and the garden churning out sorrel and spinach. Absolutely delicious and I wouldn't change a thing!
I used spinach, kale and watercress and vegetable broth. Made it vegan by using vegan butter, almond milk and full fat coconut milk for the cream. Was very tasty. Turned out a bit thin so next time I’ll use a bigger potato.
With store-bought dandelion greens, this was too bitter, but with some of the other milder greens this would be lovely. I can imagine having it chilled in the summertime. It reminded me of some of Elizabeth David's classic french provincial soups.
I made this for a lunch for friends. I used one large leek and a Yukon Gold potato. 1/3 of the greens were nasturtium leaves from my backyard, the rest was baby spinach. I wondered if it would make the soup peppery, but it wasn't at all. I garnished it with chopped nasturtium leaves and blossoms and one whole flower surrounded by a ring of olive oil. I'll skip the bacon next time, the flavor and texture overwhelmed the lovely, delicate flavor of the soup.
Another green not to be overlooked are nettles. Carefully gather them with gloves in the early spring when they are less than 1 foot tall. Just break off the stem and place it in a bag. When you get ready to use them you just steam them and chop as needed or blend as the case may be. After steaming they can no longer sting you.
Yess! Nettle soup is a German classic and I miss it. Not so much nettle growth in dry Southern California.
I just made this today with 6oz of sorrel and 2oz of nasturtium leaves. I used homemade chicken stock. Followed the recipe to a tee, except we had as is-without any garnishes. It was fabulous!
Great and easy! I used spinach and the green parts of green onions and added a bit of chopped leek for part of the onion because that was what I had in the refrigerator and the soup turned out very well.
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