Today’s soup recipe: Simple soup made from leftover lettuce that’s no longer fresh enough for a salad (or even lettuce that’s been dressed for salad the night before and is too soggy to enjoy as a salad again) and new potatoes. Surprisingly tasty!

LETTUCE SOUP

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 35 minutes
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter (reduced from 2 tablespoons)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped (I used onion and shallot)
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
Several grinds pepper
250g new potatoes, sliced into thin batons or cubed (these will take the longest to cook so cut small)
8 cups coarsely chopped lettuce (include the ribs, too, I used romaine, red leaf and radish leaves plus one baby bok choy)
3 cups water
1 tablespoon butter, optional
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Melt the butter until shimmery in a large pot on MEDIUM HIGH. 
2. Add the garlic and onion, cook til just soft, stirring to coat often. 
3. Stir in the coriander, salt and pepper, cook a minute. 
4. Stir in potatoes and lettuce. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often to coat with fat, until lettuce begins to wilt. 
5. Add the water, cover and bring to a boil. 
6. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until potatoes are done, about 15 minutes. 
7. If desired, stir in another tablespoon of butter, stir until it melts. If desired, purée.

Adapted from Gourmet, May 2005, sourced from http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com.au/2008/05/lettuce-soup.html