Spring Greens

Today I'm bringing you a quick interruption from my marmalade postings to write about a recipe for St. Patrick's Day. This dish is perfect for green-themed dinners. I came up with this recipe to use up some leftover baby arugula. The soup retains some of the nice peppery bite of the arugula, but is mellowed by the potato. I didn't think that the soup needed any cream for richness, but a few tablespoons would be enough to crank the creaminess up if anyone thinks they need it.

I started out with a quart of chicken stock, but ended up using another 1.5 cups of stock to thin it out. I suggest starting out with a quart as well and adjusting it with more stock to reach the desired consistency. This recipe is really easy if you have two pieces of equipment - a blender and a fine mesh sieve. A blender is still the only thing I know for really getting soup smooth and a fine mesh sieve helps filter out the small bits that the blender can't pulverize.

Potato Arugula Soup
4 serves
1 large russet potato
4 green onions
2 small garlic cloves, peeled
3.5 ounces baby arugula
1-2 quarts chicken stock
salt and pepper

Put 1 quart of stock in a pot and place over medium heat. Slice the potatoes thinly and place in the simmering stock. Add a large pinch of salt. Slice the onions and add both the onions and the garlic to the stock. Simmer until the potatoes are falling apart. Add the arugula and stir until it's wilted. Move the soup to a blender in batches and puree until it's smooth.

Pour the soup into a fine sieve and strain out any remaining chunks. Put back in the pot over low and add enough stock to thin it out. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.