Chilled Lettuce Buttermilk Soup Recipes

LETTUCE SOUP

Steps:

• Cook onion mixture and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add coriander, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in potato, lettuce, and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potato is very tender, about 10 minutes.
• Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and transfer to a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Bring soup to a simmer, then whisk in remaining tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste.

CHILLED LETTUCE SOUP

Steps:

• Put butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; when it melts, add onion and sweat for about 2 minutes or until it begins to soften; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add all but a couple of handfuls of the lettuce to the pan, reserving the rest for garnish, and cook until it wilts. Add stock, turn the heat to medium-high and bring liquid to a boil; lower heat to medium and cook until lettuce is very soft, about 5 minutes.
• Put cooked lettuce in a blender and add 2 cups of ice water. Purée mixture until smooth, then put in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Once soup is chilled, add cream or half-and-half to taste and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Finely chop reserved lettuce and put about 1/4 cup in each bowl and ladle soup on top. Garnish with croutons or bacon.

CHILLED LETTUCE BUTTERMILK SOUP

Steps:

• Pour buttermilk and half-and-half into large bowl or saucepan.
• In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add onion, increase heat to medium-high and sauté until softened.
• Add garlic, stirring, and then lettuce strips. Sauté for about three minutes, stirring occasionally, until lettuce is wilted.
• Stir lettuce strips, parsley, dill and pea puree into buttermilk mixture, then blend with an immersion blender.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill at least three hours or overnight.
• To serve, ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with dill.

CHILLED GOLDEN BEET AND BUTTERMILK SOUP

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine chopped shallots and vinegar and let macerate for 20 minutes. Whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with a few grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
• Put beets in a large pot over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon salt and enough water to cover. Boil for 25 to 40 minutes, depending on size, until tender when poked with the tip of a knife. Drain beets and let cool, then peel off the skins with your fingers.
• Cut 1 beet into a small, even dice, then add to the shallot mixture, season with a pinch of salt (or to taste) and set aside. Cut the remaining beets into large chunks and purée in a blender with buttermilk and lemon juice until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until completely cool.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Serve with marinated beets, herbs and sour cream on the side, so people can garnish their own bowls as they like.

CUCUMBER-BUTTERMILK SOUP

Steps:

• Roughly chop 1 1/2 cucumbers; dice remaining cucumber half. Place roughly chopped cucumber in a blender with buttermilk and blend until smooth, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Divide soup among four bowls and stir in diced cucumber. To serve, top with cucumber rounds, a drizzle of oil, and more pepper, if desired.

CHILLED BUTTERMILK SOUP

Steps:

• Whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, and salt in a bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients. Chill 15 minutes before serving.

CHILLED BUTTERMILK TOMATILLO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if the onion begins to brown.
• Add the tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the chicken stock, cumin, and cilantro, and cook 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat and cool.
• Pour the mixture into the bowl of a food processer and puree until smooth. Add the buttermilk, salt, and pepper and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator.
• Ladle the soup among 4 bowls and garnish each with a cilantro sprig and the cumin.