Some like it hot - lettuce soup

OK, so firstly we will gloss over how long it is since I did ANYTHING on this blog and will move straight on to the business - Lettuce Soup.

Lunchtime. Sunday. Alone. Supposed to be working. Hungry.


Errrm. Fridge full of old veggies needing a good home. Including 3 elderly lettuces, not counting he 2 fresh(er) ones. How much salad can I eat? Not that much, even me.

So I turned to one of the recently arrived inspiring cookbooks in my kitchen (bought by other people who also share this kitchen) and picked Lettuce and Spring Onion Soup from the WI book of Soups for all Seasons. Tis good. Beetroot and ginger coming soon.

I even had most of the ingredients in the cupboard, except of course spring onions, what with it being autumn. But I've made do with an ordinary onion and won't be adding cream (don't risk it in the house or I'll eat it all in one go) or chilling it, because it really isn't all that warm, being that it's autumn.

I made it in the giant new soup-vat-pan that has also appeared in our kitchen, which was completely unnecessary given that the recipe only calls for 3/4 pint of stock. So it's a soupcon of soup, but damn tasty anyway. Specially with toasted and buttered sourdough rye.

I used:
butter and olive oil (the recipe can't decide which)
half a big onion
one large spud
loads of old lettuce (1lb in the recipe)
3/4 pint stock (I used the water left from cooking my corn on the cob).
Splash of skimmed milk
lots of salt and pepper because this is a subtle soup and I like my flavours big.

Fry onion slowly, add potato and stock and lettuce. Simmer 20 mins, blend and add milk and seasoning.
Delicious.