Fresh Spinach Soup

Serves 4 Preparation Time - 10 Minutes Cooking Time - 40 Minutes

Spinach soup makes an excellent starter or light lunch.

The fresher the spinach the better the end result. Unlike most of my recipes I don't think there is a great degree of flexibility with this soup. I've tried experimenting with the ingredients without much success. You can substitute the shallots for onion and add a clove or half clove of garlic but it's hard to improve on this formula if you want a delicious spinach soup with a full authentic taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 shallots thinly sliced
• 1 medium sized leek thinly sliced
• 1 medium sized potato diced
• 500g of fresh baby leaf spinach
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme or a heaped teaspoon of dry
• 2 pints of water
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat a splash of oil on a medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan, add the shallots, leek and potato and soften for five minutes.
2. Add the water, slowly bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 30 minutes ensuring the soup doesn’t come to the boil.
3. Introduce the spinach, raise the heat slightly and stir continuously for four minutes, until all the spinach leaves are dark green and limp.
4. Turn the stove off and leave the soup to stand for fifteen minutes then blend the soup in a food processor until completely smooth.
5. Bring back to the stove and reheat until hot but don’t boil.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve immediately with warm croutons and grated cheese

Back to Recipes