Warm Potato Lettuce Soup With Cold Seafood Recipes

LETTUCE AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and leek. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes, stock or water, and bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
• Stir in the lettuce leaves and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. The potatoes should be thoroughly tender and falling apart.
• Using an immersion blender, or in a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade (working in batches and covering the blender lid or food processor with a kitchen towel to prevent the hot soup from splashing), blend the soup until smooth. If you want a smoother, silkier texture, strain the soup through a medium strainer, pushing it through the strainer with a pestle, spatula, or the bowl of a ladle. Return the soup to the heat, add lots of freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. , Heat through and serve, garnishing each bowl with chopped fresh parsley or chives.

WARM POTATO-LETTUCE SOUP WITH COLD SEAFOOD

Steps:

• To make the soup, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain, reserving the liquid. Pass the potatoes through a ricer. Set aside the liquid and potatoes.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the cored lettuce, lower the heat, cover and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Place the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and stir in the lettuce mixture, 1 1/2 cups of potato cooking liquid, cream, salt and pepper. Warm the soup over low heat.
• To make the seafood, cut the lobster tails across into 1/4-inch slices and cut the claws into 1/2-inch chunks.
• Arrange all of the seafood on a platter. Whisk together the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper and drizzle over the seafood. Sprinkle the chives over the top.
• Ladle the soup into 8 bowls and let diners add their choice of seafood.

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.

LETTUCE AND POTATO SOUP (NYT)

Steps:

• 1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and leek. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes, stock or water, and bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. 2. Stir in the lettuce leaves and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. The potatoes should be thoroughly tender and falling apart. 3. Using an immersion blender, or in a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade (working in batches and covering the blender lid or food processor with a kitchen towel to prevent the hot soup from splashing), blend the soup until smooth. If you want a smoother, silkier texture, strain the soup through a medium strainer, pushing it through the strainer with a pestle, spatula, or the bowl of a ladle. Return the soup to the heat, add lots of freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. , Heat through and serve, garnishing each bowl with chopped fresh parsley or chives. Note: If serving cold, add a dollop of plain yogurt to the garnish. Yield: Serves 4 to 6 Advance preparation: The soup can be made a day ahead and reheated. You can also freeze it for several weeks. Whisk well after thawing.

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.