Hiding leafy green veggies aka cream of assorted greens soup.

Everyone knows someone who doesn’t like spinach, right?  If you cook for your someone you might want to try this little gem.  Its green like spinach, it may taste a bit like spinach but it doesn’t resemble that lump of limp greens we all know as spinach on a plate.  That fact makes this recipe *almost* priceless.  You have to get over the visual right?  Was I the only one who put vinegar on that lump?

I’ll let you in on a little secret about me.  I hate cooked carrots.  If you are smart – like Bonnee is, you will disguise those evil orange things in gravy, roast beef or soup in order to get me to eat them.  Now I have adopted that trick to get spinach out to my nearest and dearest!  Actually, Brett (the one I just referred to as nearest and dearest) did this to me with mushrooms.  Now I can eat fungus without sauce.  I can’t say the same about cooked carrots, but they appear to be in almost everything I make these days!

This recipe originally came from a web site called Seduction meals.  In my opinion this soup would be great after a walk in the cold or for someone who doesn’t feel good, or even as a recharge.  It is packed full of vitamins and of course, garlic.  A grilled cheese sandwich of your choice would be an excellent accompaniment.  I decided on a Havarti grilled cheese sandwich on 5 grain Italian bread.

I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t modify the recipe. Consider yourself warned!

Cream of assorted greens soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
  • 1 small onion
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 3 thyme sprigs
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 4 ounces loosely packed spinach, trimmed and washed
  • 4 ounces loosely packed swiss chard, trimmed and washed
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat.  Add the leeks, onion, celery and carrots.  Stir and cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.  Add the garlic and stir.  Cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, chicken stock and potato.  Bring to a boil on medium-high heat .  Reduce to low and simmer for about 25 minutes or until potato is tender.  Stir in greens until just wilted.  In batches, transfer soup to blender and blend until smooth (alternative : use an immersion blender in pot). Return soup to pot if you used blender.  Stir in the cream over low heat until just hot.  Stir in the chives and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Serve with grilled cheese sandwich and wine :)

Of course I can’t forget about the wine.  I am not an expert in wines, but I do enjoy tasting them and am learning about them.  I originally ate this with Bon and we had two bottles set aside that we wanted to drink. This one was a new one to both of us.  I would recommend it.

Enjoy!