Spring Goes Green

There was a time I would have never considered using lettuce for anything other than a salad or sandwich topper. I use to think of celery the same way but both of them stand up to cooking really well in a variety of ways. My cousin Pat use to always ask for the leftover salad from family dinners as long as there was no dressing. Pat would use the leftover salad; tomatoes, onions and whatever else may have been in it to make soup.
There are so many varieties of lettuce ranging from the very mild iceberg to the peppery arugula and lets not forget the bitterness of endive.
Bitter, peppery and mild seem to cover the lettuce flavor range for the most part, the bulk of all lettuce varieties do tend to be very delicate and mild in flavor. So keep that in mind when choosing what lettuce you are going to use in your soup. I prefer to go with a mild variety such as Iceberg, Bibb or Romaine; it adds a more delicate backdrop for the cream, butter and nutmeg making it very comforting to the palate.

Spring Lettuce Soup

2 med. heads lettuce, shredded
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. light cream
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Dash of pepper

In 4-quart kettle, combine shredded lettuce and chicken broth; bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 10 minutes or until lettuce is soft. In electric blender, place one half lettuce and liquid, cover and blend. Pour into bowl. Repeat with other half. Pour back into kettle. Add cream, butter, sugar, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted and soup is hot. Beat mixture with a rotary mixer to make very smooth. Serve.

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