Jane Grigson’s Lettuce soup
Jane Grigson’s Lettuce soup, a bit of an English classic, is not all that different from her parsnip soup; the titular ingredient, some garlic, onion, stock and cream to finish. That is why it is so good.
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- a garlic clove, smashed and minced
- a chopped big sweet onion (like Vidalia
- about ½ lb sliced lettuce
- 1 Tablespoon flour (preferably Wondra)
- 1 quart chicken stock
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- an egg yolk
- minced parsley
- Melt the butter and slowly cook the garlic and onion until they soften.
- Stir the lettuce into the pan to combine all three ingredients, then add the flour and cook, stirring, for a minute.
- Gradually add the stock and simmer the soup for about five minutes: Do not overcook it.
- Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a blender and season it with salt and pepper.
- Whisk the yolk into the cream in a second pot and add a ladle of the soup to the binder and whisk them together, then pour on the rest of the soup.
- Stir the parsley into the soup and serve it hot.
Notes:
-Mrs. Grigson prefers chervil to parsley here and she is right. Better, if you are lucky enough to find some.
-She serves croutons with her lettuce soup.