Soupruary 8th: Chilled Lettuce

Let's be honest: I only picked this because it sounds truly disgusting.


Location:
My apartment

Attendees:
Joshua, Kelly, Kenneth, moi

Menu:
Re-purposed canceled roadtrip snacks
Cabbage and cucumber salad with carrot ginger miso dressing
Chilled lettuce soup with radish salsa


Entertainment:
Griping over the canceled Robyn show we were headed to in Columbus tonight


Watching, and subsequently casting the remake of, Clue
Clue, a film by Steven Soderbergh
Hugh Grant is...Wadsworth
Alec Baldwin is...Mr. Boddy
Anna Faris is...Yvette
Luis Guzmán is...The Cop
Tyler Perry's Madea is...The Cook
James Franco is...The Stranded Motorist
Neil Patrick Harris is...Mr. Green
David Hyde Pierce is...Professor Plum
Mary Louise Parker is...Miss Scarlett
Megan Mulally is...Mrs. White
Paul Giamotti is...Colonel Mustard
Rob Lowe is...That FBI Dude at the End
And introducing Justin Bieber as The Singing Telegram Girl

The Soup:
Did you get the idea that we were supposed to go to Columbus tonight? Because we were supposed to go to Columbus tonight. We found out at about 5:15 that the show we were going to see had been called off due to "sickness" or whatever. Blerg.

I'd already prepared a travel-worthy chilled soup for the evening, so that's what we ate. Outside of the context of traveling, it didn't really feel quite right to have a cold soup, what with the cold weather and all. At least the ingredients were pretty:


I bought some lovely heads of local Bibb lettuce at Madison's at Findlay Market--I was so heartily in love with Bibb lettuce salads in 2010, so I decided they'd make a good soup. Boston lettuce would work also--any buttery leaf.

Another obsession since I've discovered it is the homemade Greek yogurt you can get at Dean's at Findlay Market. Oh, boy, is it creamylicious (ew, gross, who said that?).


This was a light and bright soup that tasted extremely fresh--a rare sensation in the winter--and the color was somehow primordially pleasing. Basically a day spa for your mouth. It was good; unfortunately, it just doesn't quite make sense in February.

All that said, this soup would have an entirely different feel in the summer time. I can see myself revisiting this as a starter for a weekend brunch in July. It would be great as a little shooter of soup, rather than a whole bowl. Another plus for a brunch menu? It's whoa-ay easier than pie.

Chilled Lettuce Soup with Radish Salsa
adapted from A Beautiful Bowl of Soup, by Paulette Mitchell

Soup:
4 cups torn Bibb lettuce (about two heads)
2 cups stemmed baby spinach
1 cup fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped shallot
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
juice of one Meyer lemon
2 cups vegetable stock

Salsa:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon agave syrup
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch of flaky sea salt
1/3 cup red radish matchsticks (1"x1/8" strips)
1/3 cup English cucumber (1"x1/8" strips)

If you have a blender, you can probably just throw all the soup ingredients in it and puree it into a bright green smoothie. If you don't (like me), throw all the dry ingredients into a food processor and get them pretty smooth and reduced, then transfer into a bowl or 1 quart container. Add the wet ingredients, and puree until smooth.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, agave syrup, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Toss in the radish and cucumber, and mix well.

Chill soup and salsa separately for at least three hours. Serve soup topped with a good mound of salsa.