Creamy Romaine Soup with Summer Herb Butter & Garlic Croutons

Soups, Vegetable

Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4 Source:

Ingredients

Summer Herb Butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

1 cup minced combined chives parsley, and green onions

1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or more to taste

Garlic Croutons

3 ounces fresh 1-inch square French bread cubes, crust trimmed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 clove garlic peeled, and pressed or chopped

Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium-large onion peeled, trimmed, and chopped

4 cloves garlic peeled, and pressed or chopped

2 jalapeno chiles stemmed, seeded, deribbed, and minced

2 large heads of romaine lettuce trimmed and coarsely sliced (20 ounces sliced)

handful Italian parsley (10 ounces)

3-4 green onions chopped (1 ounce)

small handful of chives chopped (1 ounce)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

5 cups chicken stock

1 cup cream

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to taste

fine sea salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garnish

Herb Butter

Garlic Croutons

freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional

Directions

To make the Herb Butter, in a processor fitted with the steel blade, chop the herbs and then add the butter. Pulse to thoroughly blend. Then add the lemon juice and salt, and pulse again to combine. Remove to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed. Bring to room temperature when you are ready to serve the soup.

To make the Garlic Croutons, in a saute pan set over medium heat, melt the butter and toss in the bread cubes. Turn the cubes frequently to lightly brown all sides, adding the garlic and salt about half way through the browning process. Remove to a paper towels to drain. Reserve.

To make the soup, in a large soup pot, melt the butter and add the onions. Cook slowly until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes, and then add the garlic and chiles. Cook slowly for another 2 minutes or so.

Add the romaine and toss repeatedly until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, green onions and chives. Add the flour and stir to distribute. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the stock and cream and stir constantly while bringing the soup to a simmer. Simmer slowly to blend the flavors, about 10 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat, let cool a bit and then either ladle it in batches into a blender and puree or use an immersion blender to puree in the pot. If you want a very smooth soup, put it through a triple mesh, conical chinoise or a food mill fitted with the fine disk.

Return the soup to a clean soup pot and taste for flavor balance. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

To serve, reheat the soup to a simmer and then ladle it into soup bowls. Draw a spoonful of the Herb Butter very slowly in a circular fashion through the hot soup so that it melts onto the surface. Add a few croutons to the center of each bowl and a grating of Parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

I often incorporate a coarsely chopped, fresh green sauce, chimichurri, gremolata, or herb butter into a creamy soup as a way to layer cooked and raw flavors. The fresh sauce provides vibrant color and flavor that lifts even the simplest soup to new heights. Together with the garlic croutons, there is plenty of contrast here to keep diners happily engaged all the way to the bottom of the bowl.