April showers can be a welcome visitor in times of drought, bringing a desire to hunker down at home with a steamy bowl of good, nourishing soup. A homemade soup offers numerous benefits. It’s the original fast food: you can prepare it in advance, then just heat and eat. Soup can be low fat and still be satisfying; it can be a first course or a whole meal. Leftovers often taste better the next day, or can be frozen for later use. Best of all, you can make soup out of whatever is handy, and take advantage of the season’s best ingredients. Spring brings several great soup stars, including asparagus, peas, leeks and watercress. Soup’s on!
Fresh watercress soup
A member of the mustard family, watercress can be pungent and peppery. Here is it bright green and fresh tasting. Try it as a great first course. Recipe from Bon Appetit magazine; makes four servings.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
1 large russet potato (about 9 oz.), peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cups packed trimmed watercress
1/3 cup whipping cream
4 watercress leaves
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Mix in stock and potato. Cover and simmer until potato is very tender, about 15 minutes. Add four cups watercress; simmer just until wilted and tender, about four minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth; return to saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared a day ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
Bring soup to simmer if serving hot. Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with cream if desired, and garnish with watercress leaves.
Fennel soup with watercress puree
The slight sweetness of fennel is balanced by the peppery notes of the watercress in this flavorful soup from “The Savory Way” by Deborah Madison; makes four to six servings.
1 tablespoon butter
1 large leek, white part only, cleaned and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 large fennel bulbs, cleaned, quartered and sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fennel greens
1 medium-size red potato, sliced or chopped
Salt to taste
6 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 bunch watercress
Melt butter in a heavy soup pot; add vegetables, salt and a half cup of the water. Sweat them over low heat about 12 to 15 minutes, then add remaining six cups cold water and bring to a boil. Lower heat; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return to the pot. If soup needs thinning, add enough water, milk or cream to get desired consistency. Season with salt if needed.
Sort watercress; discard large stems and any yellow leaves. Puree in a food processor or blender until fine, adding water to loosen leaves from blades. Stir in half the pureed watercress to the soup; taste before adding the rest, as watercress can be very bitter. If making soup in advance, wait until the last minute to add watercress.
Asparagus
and leek soup
Velvety smooth and bright green, this soup is beautiful to look at,and delicious to sip. Recipe from “Soups and Stews” from Food &Wine Books. Makes six servings.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds leeks, white and light-green parts only, half chopped, half cut into 2-inch-long
strips, washed well
1 half-pound baking potato, peeled and chopped
3 pounds asparagus, stems cut into pieces; tips quartered lengthwise if large
2 quarts chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Cooking oil for frying
3/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat; add chopped leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, for three minutes. Add potato and asparagus stems; cook, stirring occasionally, for three minutes more. Add stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Add parsley, salt and pepper; cook one minute more.
In a blender or food processor, puree soup, then strain into a large pot. Press vegetables firmly with a spoon to get all the puree. In a medium pan of boiling salted water, cook asparagus tips for two minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 inch of cooking oil until very hot. Add half the leek strips to oil; fry until tinged with brown, about one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining leek strips. When ready to serve, bring soup to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add asparagus tips; bring back to simmer. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with creme fraiche and fried leeks.
Spring pea soup
The beauty of this recipe is that frozen peas can be used without compromising the fresh taste and intense green color. Recipe from “Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook” by Margaret Fox and John Bear; makes 10 cups.
1/2 cup butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
5 cups chicken stock, heated
3 3/4 cups peas
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream or creme fraiche
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Saute onion in butter over medium heat for five minutes or until onion is translucent. Add flour; cook for three minutes, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt and chicken stock. Bring to a boil while stirring, scraping bottom. Simmer five minutes, add peas, sugar and spinach, and simmer eight to 10 minutes. Puree, strain and add half and half. Warm gently; do not boil. Whip cream or creme fraiche and lemon rind until soft peaks form. Serve soup in heated bowls with a dollop of whipped cream.
Rice and peas in broth with prosciutto
Another recipe from Food &Wine Books, this one depends on good chicken stock for its taste, so use homemade, if possible. Makes six servings.
3/4 cup Arborio rice
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 quarts chicken stock, boiled down to 2 quarts to concentrate flavor
1 cup fresh or frozen petite peas
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 pound prosciutto, fat removed, cut into matchstick strips
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook rice until just tender, about 15 minutes; drain. In a large pot, melt butter oven medium low heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about five minutes. Add wine; boil until it almost entirely evaporates. Add stock; bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add fresh peas, if using, and cook until tender, about four minutes. Add rice and frozen peas, if using, and the parsley, salt and pepper; bring to a simmer. Divide prosciutto among individual serving bowls. Ladle soup over and top with Parmesan; serve hot.
