Eat your Greens

I have a food shopping system, every Monday I hurriedly complete my online order with the intention of adding to it and changing things around throughout the week. Every Sunday I end up with something I don’t’ remember ordering or without some forgotten necessity. (I didn’t say it was a good system). Last weekend I actually ended up with two orders. So while my freezer is now crammed full of duplicate food items I was still left with more veg then even the most gluttonous vegan would struggle with.

This quick, fuss free recipe not only took care of the spinach allotment living in my fridge but also produces the most amazing coloured lunch or light supper. Great for getting a good hit of spring greens and (as I discovered following a fairly indulgent Prohibition party the night before) works well for hangovers.

Creamy Spinach Soup:

Shopping List:

• 50g butter
• 1 medium onion , finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• 1 medium potato , peeled and chopped into chunks
• 450ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 600ml milk
• 450g fresh spinach , roughly chopped
• finely grated zest of half a lemon
• freshly grated nutmeg , to taste

Make it happen:

• Melt the butter in a large lidded saucepan, add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 5-6 minutes until softening.
• Stir in the potato and continue to cook gently for 1 minute.
• Pour in the stock and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the potato starts to cook.
• Pour in the milk and bring up to a simmer, then stir in half the spinach and the lemon zest.
• Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the spinach has completely wilted down. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Pour the soup into a blender or food processor, add the remaining spinach (this will keep the soup bright green and fresh tasting) and process until silky smooth. Return to the pan and reheat. Taste and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Serve with a swirl of olive oil and toasted pumpkin seeds.

No Sesame Street characters were harmed in the making of this soup.