A Green Winter Soup, Frugal Foodie X

my 10 minute soup

A few days of sunshine after a week of rain created the perfect weed pulling opportunity. The ground was so saturated that weeds came out clean from the roots with the gentlest of tugs. The most prolific weed is the oxalis, the sour grass known and loved by children, with its bright yellow florescent flowers that really clash with just about everything. But more important than clashing colors is their very tallness. In the right conditions, they can grow very long stems and engulf  “proper” plants.  This weekend I liberated my one bed of winter greens from the suffocating yellow blooms,  and excavated a bed of Italian greens I planted from seed in the late fall. Suddenly, my garden became a treasure trove of greens! Mizuna, bok choi, Russian kale, Lacinato kale, frisee, mustard greens, radicchio Treviso, the beautifuly variegated radicchio Castelfranco, a few very small  puntarelles, and a two perfectly blanched pan di zuccheros. Yes, I love winter greens and chicories. Except for some of the chicories, most of the other greens are of the cut and come again variety. In fact, except for the puntarelle and the pan di zucchero, I treat the chicories as cut and come agains, too! Freshly harvested winter greens are fantastic alone but especially when you can just have a nibble from this plant and that one. And with a nice mix on hand, this is a perfect soup to make.

This is a very humble soup. Bread, garlic, olive oil, greens, and parmesan. If you want to add pancetta to the greens, go for it. Toasted pinenuts are also a great addition. I guess, this is a gardener’s soup. It taste best when a variety of greens are combined. I happened to have a jar of truffle paste given to me by my friend Franco, Mr. Exotic Edibles, which I added.

Green Winter Soup

• Leafy winter greens, and lots of them. I filled a salad bowl and it served 3!
• A good bread, I used a miche from Trader Joe’s
• Olive oil
• Garlic, 2 cloves peeled and chopped
• Grated parmesan
• Salt and pepper

1. Thoroughly wash your greens, spin, and finely chop.
2. In your largest sauté pan, heat some olive oil and gently cook your garlic.
3. Add the greens and about a cup of water.
4. They will cook quickly, with a gently stir once or twice. Salt and pepper as you like.
5. Once perfectly wilted, turn off the heat. Do not drain! You will use the “broth.”
6. While greens are cooking, thickly slice and start toasting the bread. (This happens to be a great soup to make on the open hearth) I usually make two slices of bread per person.
7. When all the bread has been toasted, you can start assembling the soup.
8. Place one piece of toast in each bowl, add some greens, repeat.
   
9. I added a big dollop of truffle paste to the broth, gave a quick stir, and then poured the broth evenly in each bowl.
10. Add the grated parmesan.
11. Serve immediately!

Once the greens are washed and chopped, this is a very fast soup to make. This isn’t just a recipe for the Frugal Foodie but also one for the Busy Foodie!  It is hearty and satisfying, and a perfect meal with your favorite bottle of red wine. Some guests have even been known to  pour a little of their wine on top, but I never do…