Chilled Watercress, Spring Nettle, And Sorrel Soup

Chilled Watercress, Spring Nettle, And Sorrel Soup
Chilled Watercress, Spring Nettle, And Sorrel Soup
Spring is abundant with greens of all types, both wild and cultivated. You never know what might show up at your market in any given week. It just so happened that I was able to get pepper y watercress, wild stinging nettles, and sour sorrel at the same time. I love the idea of a watercress or nettles soup, but it always leaves me wanting acid, which inevitably turns the vibrant green soup to a drab olive. Naturally sour sorrel solves this by adding brightness without acid to balance the flavor. If you have trouble finding nettles, just use more watercress, or substitute arugula, mizuna, or dandelion.
  • Preparing Time: -
  • Total Time: -
  • Served Person: 12 servings
Soup/Stew Leafy Green Low Fat Vegetarian Kid-Friendly Lunch Healthy Watercress Sugar Conscious Pescatarian Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free No Sugar Added Kosher Small Plates
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 cups vegetable stock or water
  • 1 spring onion, sliced and washed
  • 2 young leeks, sliced and washed
  • 2 stalks green garlic, sliced and washed (or 1 large garlic clove, chopped)
  • 3/4 pound watercress (3 to 4 bunches)
  • 1/4 pound spring nettles, blanched if stinging variety
  • 1 bunch sorrel leaves (1 to 2 ounces)
  • crã¨me fraã®che, extra virgin olive oil, and leek or green garlic tops for garnish
  • Carbohydrate 5 g(2%)
  • Cholesterol 5 mg(2%)
  • Fat 4 g(7%)
  • Fiber 1 g(5%)
  • Protein 2 g(3%)
  • Saturated Fat 2 g(8%)
  • Sodium 331 mg(14%)
  • Calories 62

Preparation In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is foamy. Add the onion, leeks, garlic, and salt, and stir to coat. Let cook 10 minutes, then add 4 cups stock or water. Bring to a simmer. Add the watercress and nettles and simmer just until tender. Using a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, strain the soup, separating the liquid from the solids, but reserve both. Transfer both to the refrigerator and cool 2 hours. Remove the separated cooled soup ingredients from the refrigerator and recombine. Puree the soup in batches in the food processor or in a blender, and add the sorrel leaves a little at a time. The soup will have some texture. When finished processing, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use. Transfer the soup to chilled bowls and garnish with a spoonful of crème fraîche, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few thin slices of leek tops or green garlic tops. From Root to Leaf: A Southern Chef Cooks Through the Seasons, copyright © 2015 by Steven Satterfield. Reprinted by permission from HarperWave, and imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.

Preparation In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is foamy. Add the onion, leeks, garlic, and salt, and stir to coat. Let cook 10 minutes, then add 4 cups stock or water. Bring to a simmer. Add the watercress and nettles and simmer just until tender. Using a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, strain the soup, separating the liquid from the solids, but reserve both. Transfer both to the refrigerator and cool 2 hours. Remove the separated cooled soup ingredients from the refrigerator and recombine. Puree the soup in batches in the food processor or in a blender, and add the sorrel leaves a little at a time. The soup will have some texture. When finished processing, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use. Transfer the soup to chilled bowls and garnish with a spoonful of crème fraîche, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few thin slices of leek tops or green garlic tops. From Root to Leaf: A Southern Chef Cooks Through the Seasons, copyright © 2015 by Steven Satterfield. Reprinted by permission from HarperWave, and imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.