So far Memorial Day week-end recipes have taken us from the Hamptons to Camping in the UK then we tasted Peaches of Maine and now here's a vegetarian soup from Vegetables from an Italian Garden (Phaidon Press, May 2011).
I wonder if this soup could be served cold as well (minus the croutons).
Lettuce and Mint Soup Recipe:
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 lettuce, shredded
4¼ cups vegetable stock
15 mint leaves
2 tablespoons heavy cream
salt and pepper
croutons, to serve
Instructions:
Melt butter in a pan. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the lettuce and cook for a few minutes, then pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the mint leaves and remove the pan from the heat. Pour the soup into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return the soup to the pan, stir in the cream, and reheat gently but do not let boil. Ladle into warm soup bowls and serve with croutons.
(* Recipe from Vegetables from an Italian Garden by Phaidon Press (May 2011), reproduced by permission of the publisher, all rights reserved)