Description
This simple, elegant soup is based on the traditional French classic, Potage St. Germain, and combines lettuce, mint, and leeks with frozen peas for a bright, light, delicious soup for spring.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup
- 4 c. Frozen peas
- 2 Leeks, white parts and the best parts of the green leaves — approximately 3 inches from the bottom.(Save tops of leaves for stock below)
- 2 T. Olive oil
- 1 t. salt
- 4 c. baby green lettuce rinsed and dried
- 1/2 c. Fresh mint leaves
- 1 c. Fresh spinach leaves
- 6 c. Vegetable stock or a quick green stock
- 1 Medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
Stock
- Leftover green and dark green parts of leeks used for the soup.
- Trimmings from other ingredients along with any bright green vegetable trimmings you may have saved in your freezer. Approximately 1-2 cups.
Instructions
Soup
- Add olive oil to a large pot and heat.
- Add onions and leeks and saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes until soft but not brown.
- Add the stock (strained if using homemade) and a pinch of salt, simmer until tender for about 5 minutes.
- Add the peas and lettuce, cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the spinach. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and mix until smooth using either an immersion blender or standard blender. (Blend in batches if using a blender.) Reheat briefly if necessary.
- Test for seasoning.
- Serve immediately with French bread.
Green Stock
- Combine all stock ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan, cover with water (at least 6 cups); bring to a boil then simmer until ready to use.
- Strain through a colander, preferably lined with a cheesecloth, before using.
Notes
For that Michelin-star level of velvety smoothness, push the blended soup through a fine-mesh strainer before reheating.
To garnish each bowl, add a sprig of fresh mint and a small dollop of creme fraiche if you desire.