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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A Slice of Spring

There was this house at the corner of the street where I grew up that had this little side yard completely filled with rhubarb. They really were quite pretty to look at with their big green leaves and vibrant red stalks just swaying in the breeze. The cutest little couple lived there; we called them Mr. and Mrs. Joe (never knew their last name). Mrs. Joe made so many wonderful things with her rhubarb and she was always kind enough to share with all of us. When strawberries started to look good and ripe that is when Mrs. Joe would make her magically flaky pie crust and cut some of her specially grown rhubarb to make this incredibly delicious pie.

Mrs. Joes Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

1 1/4-1 1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons of cornstarch
1/4 Teaspoon of salt
1/4 Teaspoon of ground nutmeg
3 cups of rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 Tablespoon of butter

Pastry for double crust pie:

2 cups of sifted flour
1 Teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of shortening
3-5 Tablespoons of ice cold water

Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle on water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it holds together when pressed gently but not sticky. Roll out between waxed paper. Makes:
2 crusts for 8 or 9 inch pie

Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling:

In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, cornstarch, salt and ground nutmeg. Add rhubarb pieces and sliced strawberries, toss gently to coat fruit. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare and roll out pastry. Line a 9 inch pie plate with half of the pastry. Trim pastry to edge of pie plate. Pour fruit mixture into pie plate, dot with butter, place pastry on top of filling. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape seal and flute edge. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.


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