by Julia Child
GREEN SOUPS FROM GREEN VEGETABLES
POTAGE, CRÉME D’ASPERGES VERTES
[Cream of Fresh Green Asparagus Soup]
At the peak of the asparagus season, when you can bear not to eat it whole, here is a marvelous soup to catch all the essence of that beautiful vegetable.
For 7 to 8 cups, serving 4 to 6
1) The onion flavoring
⅔ to ¾ cup sliced onions
4 Tb butter
A 3-quart heavy-bottomed stainless saucepan with cover
While you are preparing the asparagus, cook the onions slowly in the butter for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but not browned. Set aside.
2) Preparing the asparagus
About 2 lbs. fresh green asparagus (24 to 28 spears 8 by ¾ inches)
Slice ¼ inch off the butt of each asparagus. Peel the skin from the butt ends up to where the green begins, and remove scales. Wash thoroughly in warm water. Cut the tops 3 inches long and set aside. Cut the lower part of the asparagus stalks into ¾-inch crosswise pieces.
3) Blanching the asparagus
6 cups water
2 tsp salt
A 3-quart saucepan
A salad or vegetable basket or 2 slotted spoons
Bring the water and salt to a rapid boil, add the asparagus stalks and boil slowly, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove and drain, reserving the water, and stir the stalks into the cooked onions; cover and cook slowly for 5 minutes. Meanwhile bring the water back to the boil, add the reserved asparagus tops and boil slowly, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes or until just tender. Remove immediately and drain. Set aside, reserving water for the soup base.
4) The soup base
4 Tb flour
The asparagus blanching water
1 cup or so of milk if needed
After the stalks and onions have stewed together for 5 minutes, uncover the pan, stir in the flour to mix thoroughly, and cook slowly, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and blend in half a cup of the hot blanching water; gradually stir in the rest, being sure not to add any sand that may be at the bottom of the pan. Simmer slowly, partially covered, for about 25 minutes or until the stalks are very tender. If soup seems too thick, thin out with milk.
5) Finishing the soup
The blanched asparagus tops
A food mill with medium disk (or an electric blender and sieve)
A 3-quart bowl
½ to ⅔ cup heavy cream
2 to 3 egg yolks
A wire whip
Salt and white pepper to taste
Line up the blanched asparagus tops and cut the tip ends into ¼-inch crosswise slices; reserve as a garnish. Purée the rest of the tops and the soup base into a bowl. (Pass soup through sieve to remove any fibers, if you have used a blender.) Pour the cream into the saucepan, blend in the egg yolks with a wire whip; by driblets, beat in 2 cups of the hot soup. Pour in the rest of the soup, and the sliced tip ends.
(*) May be cooked ahead to this point; set aside uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate.
2 to 4 Tb soft butter
Shortly before serving, set over moderate heat and stir slowly with a wooden spoon, reaching all over the bottom of the pan until soup comes almost to the simmer. Remove from heat, carefully correct seasoning, and stir in the enrichment butter half a tablespoon at a time. Serve immediately.
Cold Asparagus Soup
Omit the final butter enrichment and oversalt slightly. Stir several times as the soup cools, then cover and chill. Blend in more cream, if you wish, just before serving.
Using frozen asparagus
Frozen asparagus can never achieve the magic of fresh asparagus, but you can still turn out an excellent soup. Follow the Master Recipe, making the changes in each step as indicated.
1) Increase the sliced onions to 2¼ cups in this step, or use a combination of onions and leeks.
2) A 10-ounce package frozen cut green asparagus
A 10-ounce package whole frozen green asparagus spears
Use the cut asparagus to replace the stalks and the whole spears to replace the tops.
3) 2 cups chicken stock
Optional: big pinch of monosodium glutamate
Substitute 2 cups of chicken stock for 2 cups of the water called for in this step, and a little MSG will probably be useful. Drop the cut asparagus into the boiling liquid for a minute or two, merely to defrost them, then add to the onions. Boil the whole spears until just tender.
4 and 5) Follow Master Recipe
Fresh white European asparagus
European asparagus is either all white or tinged with mauve or green near the tip, depending on the variety. Since the peel is often slightly bitter as well as being much tougher than that of all-green asparagus, peeling is essential. Peel each spear 1⁄16 of an inch deep up to the tender part near the tip. After boiling the stalks, taste the cooking liquid; if it is bitter, discard it and use fresh boiling water for cooking the tops. Although the soup would normally be a pale cream color, you may turn it green by puréeing into it a cup of blanched chard or spinach leaves.
SOUPE BELLE POTAGÈRE
[Pea-pod Soup]
You can make an excellent green pea soup using both pods and peas. Next time you are shelling them, and have crackling fresh pods, keep out the greenest and best of the lot, wrap them in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for a soup the next day. A cup of shelled peas would be nice, too, but frozen ones will do for the garnish.
For 7 to 8 cups, serving 4 to 6
1) The onion flavoring
1 cup sliced leeks and onions or onions only
3 Tb butter
A heavy-bottomed, 3-quart stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
Cook the leeks or onions slowly in the butter for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but not browned. Set aside.
2) The pea-pod soup base
1 lb. fresh green peas with very crisp pods
Pulling off and discarding stems and tips from the pea pods, shell the peas and set aside—you should have about 1 cup. Wash pods and chop roughly into 1-inch pieces, making about 4 cups. Stir the chopped pods into the leeks and onions, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes.
3 Tb flour
4 cups hot water
1½ tsp salt
1 large potato, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
Blend the flour into the pea pods and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat, gradually blend in 1 cup of the hot water, then stir in the rest along with the salt and sliced potatoes. Simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3) The peas
1 cup fresh peas (or a 10-ounce package of frozen peas)
A heavy-bottomed 6- to 8-cup saucepan with cover
1½ cups water for fresh peas; ½ cup for frozen peas
1 large sliced scallion or shallot
6 to 8 large outside leaves of Boston lettuce, chopped
1 Tb butter
¼ tsp salt
For fresh peas: Boil them in the covered saucepan with the water, scallion, lettuce, and other ingredients for 10 to 15 minutes or until peas are just tender, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons more water if liquid evaporates entirely before peas are done; uncover and set aside.
For frozen peas: Cook the same way but with only ½ cup water, and boil only long enough for the peas to be tender.
4) Finishing the soup
A food mill set over a bowl (or an electric blender and sieve)
A cup or so of milk if needed
Salt, white pepper, and sugar to taste
¼ cup or more of heavy cream or sour cream
Purée the peas, then the soup base. If you are using a blender, sieve the soup base after puréeing to remove pea-pod fibers. Return to saucepan, bring to simmer, and thin out with milk if soup seems too thick. Taste carefully for seasoning, and add pinches of sugar to taste, which will help bring out the flavor. Stir in the cream.
(*) Set aside uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate.
1 to 4 Tb soft butter
Reheat to simmer just before serving. Check seasoning again, remove from heat, and stir in the butter a half tablespoon at a time. Serve immediately.
Cold Pea-pod Soup
Omit the final butter enrichment, and oversalt slightly. Stir several times as the soup cools, then cover and chill. Blend in more cream, if you wish, just before serving.
POTAGE À LA FLORENTINE
[Cream of Spinach Soup]
Fresh and frozen spinach do almost equally well in this elegant soup of spinach simmered with rice and enriched with cream and egg yolks. Since it is good hot or cold, you may use the same system for a soup of green herbs, as you will see in the variations following.
For 7 to 8 cups, serving 4 to 6
1) The soup base
½ cup sliced onions
2 Tb butter
A heavy-bottomed stainless or enameled pan with cover
Cook the onions slowly in the butter for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but not browned.
1½ to 2 lbs. fresh spinach (or a 10 ounce package frozen spinach)
For fresh spinach, trim, wash thoroughly, and chop roughly. For frozen spinach, thaw in a large bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze dry. Stir spinach into onions; cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent spinach from scorching.
5 cups liquid (light chicken stock, or canned chicken broth and water)
⅓ cup plain raw white rice
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
A food mill or electric blender
Chicken stock or milk if needed
Add the liquid to the spinach, bring to the boil, and stir in the rice. Season with the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer partially covered for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Purée, bring again to the simmer and thin out, if too thick, with more liquid. Remove from heat.
2) Finishing the soup
A 2-quart bowl
A wire whip
½ cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
Blend the cream and egg yolks in the bowl with the wire whip; by driblets, beat in 2 cups of the hot soup. Pour back into the saucepan.
(*) May be cooked ahead to this point. Set aside uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate.
Salt, pepper, and lemon juice
2 to 4 Tb soft butter
Shortly before serving, set over moderate heat and stir slowly with a wooden spoon, reaching all over the bottom of the pan until soup comes almost to the simmer. Remove from heat, carefully correct seasoning, adding lemon juice if you wish; stir in the enrichment butter a teaspoon at a time. Serve immediately.
Cold Spinach Soup
Omit the final butter enrichment, and oversalt slightly. Stir several times as the soup cools, then cover and chill. Blend in more cream, if you wish, just before serving, or top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream.
VARIATION
Potage aux Herbes Panachées
[Green Herb Soup]
For those green-thumbed wonders who grow their own herbs, here is a way to show off your tarragon, chervil, flat-leaved, pungent Italian parsley, shallots, spring onions or scallions, and chives. For those of us who wish to simulate the possession of an herb garden, the supermarket combination is leeks or onions, watercress, parsley, and dried tarragon.
1) The soup base
About 1½ cups onion flavoring (chopped shallots, scallions, onions and/or leeks)
3 Tb butter
for herb gardeners:
1 packed cup parsley including tender stems; a handful of chervil; a branch of tarragon leaves; chives
Following the system for the preceding Spinach Soup, cook the onion flavoring in butter until tender. Chop greens roughly, stir into onion flavoring and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until wilted. Then add the flour and cook 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat, beat in the hot water, and bring to the boil. Sprinkle in the rice and the salt. Simmer 25 minutes, then purée.
for supermarket shoppers:
1½ packed cups of a combination of parsley and watercress, including tender stems, and ½ tsp dried tarragon
1 Tb flour
3 cups hot water
⅓ cup plain raw white rice
1 tsp salt
2) Finishing the soup
2 to 3 cups milk
More salt and tarragon if needed
White pepper to taste
A small saucepan
1 packed cup minced fresh greens (same combination as in Step 1)
1 Tb butter
½ cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
2 to 4 Tb soft butter
Bring soup base to the simmer; thin out to desired consistency with milk. Season carefully. In a separate saucepan, stir the minced greens and butter over moderate heat for several minutes until herbs are wilted. Remove from heat and let cool a moment, then stir in the cream; blend in the egg yolks with a wire whip, and gradually dribble in 2 cups of the hot soup base. Pour back into the saucepan. Just before serving, stir over moderate heat until soup comes almost to the simmer, correct seasoning again, remove from heat and stir in the butter.
Cold Green Herb Soup
See directions for the preceding Spinach Soup.
VEGETABLE VELOUTÉS
POTAGE AUX CHAMPIGNONS, ÎLE DE FRANCE
[Cream of Mushroom Soup II]
Cream of Mushroom Soup appeals to almost everyone, even to those who claim they hate mushrooms. This is a very simple version compared with the full-dress recipe in Volume I, page 40. Here puréed raw mushrooms simmer in an onion-flavored soup base, and if you have only a handful of stems rather than the 2 to 4 cups of fresh mushrooms specified, you will still have a delicious soup.
For 6 to 7 cups, serving 4 to 6
1) The velouté soup base
½ cup finely minced onions
4 Tb butter
A 2½- to 3-quart heavy-bottomed stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
A wooden spoon
3 Tb flour
2 cups hot water
A wire whip
4 cups milk
2 tsp salt
Pinch white pepper
Big pinch tarragon
Cook the onions slowly in the butter for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but not browned. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and blend in ½ cup of the hot water with a wire whip. Gradually beat in the rest of the hot water, then the milk, seasonings, and tarragon. Bring to the simmer, stirring with wire whip; simmer very slowly for several minutes while preparing the mushrooms.
2) The mushrooms
2 to 4 cups (5 to 12 ounces) fresh whole mushrooms or just the mushroom stems
A food mill with grating disk (large holes), an electric blender, or a large knife
Trim and wash the mushrooms. If you are using a food mill with grating disk, chop the mushrooms roughly and grate directly into the soup base. If using a blender, chop roughly, and blend ½ cup at a time with an equal amount of soup base, flicking switch on and off rapidly to avoid too fine a purée. Otherwise chop the mushrooms into ⅛-inch pieces with a knife, and add to soup.
3) Finishing the soup
More milk if needed, or light chicken stock
⅓ to ½ cup or more heavy cream
Salt, white pepper, and drops of lemon juice
Simmer the soup, partially covered, for 25 minutes. Add more liquid if soup seems too thick, then stir in the cream. Carefully correct seasoning, adding drops of lemon juice if you feel they are needed.
(*) May be completed to this point. Set aside uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate.
2 to 4 Tb soft butter
2 to 3 Tb minced fresh tarragon and/or parsley
Bring soup to simmer again just before serving. Remove from heat and stir in first the butter, a half tablespoon at a time, then the herbs. Serve immediately.
A more elaborate garnish
Omit all or most of the cream and butter
enrichments if you wish. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, drop a spoonful of sour cream in each and top with minced herbs, or with sliced or fluted mushroom caps previously simmered in water, butter, and lemon juice (Volume I, page 510).