Recipe 74: Lettuce Soup

Recipe 74: Lettuce Soup, Revisited.

First, I owe an apology to my readers. I wrote while I was tired, and without a sample of the soup available, or really putting myself into this. Its Thursday night, my toughest night of the week for some reason. I think its because I get paid on Friday. On Friday, I have the excitement of possibilities-new recipes to cook, a weekend off to get things done at home, and more possibilities. On Thursdays, I am sapped of energy, and I’m working to plan which new recipe to cook, and what can I afford on my budget? Or How in the world am I going to afford this expensive recipe?

When I sat down to write earlier, I didn’t see any challenge in this recipe. But maybe it was that it was too early in the evening-7 or 7:30 vs 11PM when I should be going to bed. Maybe the chair was too comfortable and not leaving me wondering if one wrong move would leave me deciding I’d rather type from the floor and bring my computer down there to join me. I could really test my typing skills if I just brought the keyboard down after all.

When I sat down earlier, I’d just had a dinner that didn’t resemble lettuce soup in the least and I found it hard to think back to the other night and what I was thinking as I made this. Its still hard to get back to three days away, but I can put this soup into a better perspective. So, what makes Boston Lettuce so special anyway?

My first time trying Boston Lettuce was most likely earlier this week. James called to see what I had for lettuce for stuffed tomatoes. He used nearly half a head. I had bought just enough for the recipe, two small heads. I figured it would work anyways and wondered just how good wilted, pureed lettuce could taste? In the end, it was better than you would think. I think it helps when you wilt the lettuce intentionally instead of leaving it in the fridge for too long.

Why was this week my first time trying the main ingredient in this soup that seems common place to many people who know the joys and wonders of Boston Lettuce? Lets take a trip down memory lane.

For starters, as much as complain about my own food budget, it is probably lucrative to the one my parents had growing up. My mother did put lettuce on hamburgers sometimes, and made tossed salad with iceberg lettuce. I don’t recall having leaf lettuce as a child. My mother didn’t like it, and it was most likely too expensive. Secondly, I was that odd child in my family that would rather have an apple or a bell pepper over a candy bar. Unfortunately for me, the apple and bell pepper were more expensive. It took coaxing from other adults to get my mother to spend another quarter on my expensive treat. Simply put, iceberg lettuce is what we had and what I knew. Then I started eating at other people’s houses. I don’t recall the first time I had romaine lettuce or a Caesar salad, but I decided it was better than sliced bread, and bologna sandwiches I was never eating again.

Oddly though, as much as I’ve eaten Romaine Lettuce, Romaine Hearts, curly endive, radicchio, and other lettuces, as well as most vegetables I can get my hands on (in Meijer and now at farmer’s markets), it never occurred to me to buy and try Boston Lettuce. I think part of the joy of cooking in this book, is the excuse to try new things I never would have thought of on my own.

So, what in the world besides Boston Lettuce do you put into the soup? Onion, garlic, parsley-you cook it this time;-), chives, mint, tarragon(if you like it), chicken stock, heavy cream, salt and white pepper. I will admit, it’s easy to make. Almost too easy, I was done with it and enjoying soup in 30 minutes or less. This makes for a great quick meal on a weeknight. In addition, in the 20 minutes of simmering once you add the chicken stock, you can give your primary attention to another dish if you need to. And since I promote balanced eating, and some protein with a meal, this soup makes for a nice green side dish. As I was pureeing this soup in the blender, I did think of ectoplasm when I saw the colors. It could be a fun way to get a child to try this soup. And if you have kids with over-active kill the aliens imagination, you could invent a fun war story about how you made Alien’s Blood for dinner. Or if you have a sheepish one, you’ll have to explain it as self-defense and that the Alien’s Blood has healing and strengthening qualities, like spinach, but less intense-so everyone’s happy. Or you can just let them wonder how you made ectoplasm in the blender. Happy soup making!

I may make this recipe again, just to see if the nieces and nephews buy the alien’s blood story. I’ll probably end up being the alien though. How does that work? Sheesh, kids.