Green Soup

Photo: Rainbowl, by Splat Worldwide

I make a lot of this green soup in the late summer, when greens are plentiful. It freezes extremely well, is nutritious and delicious (even for those who don’t claim to be lovers of dark green veggies) and can be enjoyed all year.

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 – 2 teaspoons salt, to taste
1 – 2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 cubes stock (I use Vegetable Bouillon by Organic Gourmet, available at Whole Foods–a good stock is really important)
2 bunches Kale or Collard or Chard or other miscellaneous greens, de-veined (you can even use lettuce, just don’t over-cook).
4-6 potatoes (as desired), coarsely chopped
3-4 sticks celery (very important for flavor)
3-4 carrots (optional)
1 yam (optional)
orange zest of about 1 orange and/or orange juice, to taste (optional)
8-12 cups water (as desired)

Sautee onions in olive oil or other preferred cooking oil with some salt added. Add water, 8 – 12 cups or so, depending on the amount of ingredients used and desired thickness. There should be enough water to cover all your ingredients when cooked. Add stock (note that I use much less stock per cup of water than recommended on the package), potatoes, carrots (if used) and celery. Bring soup to a rolling boil.

When potato is starting to get cooked (after 10 minutes of boiling or so) add greens. Cook all until potatoes are soft and greens are thoroughly wilted but not yellow. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and (if desired) basil, parsley, thyme, other spices that you enjoy. These herbs are not necessary, just optional.

Let the soup cool. Puree soup in blender and add orange zest if needed. (I tend to add orange when the soup has a very “dark”, almost swampy smell (due to the greens used). The orange lightens up the soup.

on freezing
For freezing, I use old 16 oz. yogurt containers. One container makes 2 large or 3-4 smaller servings. Make sure soup is cool before putting into plastic containers.Fill about 1 1/2 inches from the top of container because soup will expand when freezing. I use blue painter’s tape and permanent black market to make a label indicating the soup type and the date. (Blue tape is attractive, and it comes off easier than regular masking tape when you’re ready to re-use your container). If you’re very organized, you can make a log with any special notes about a particular soup. (I find it a bit disconcerting to eat soup and have no specific memory of making it, especially when guests ask me what’s in a soup or how I made it, but have yet to make a log).

cooking/flavor note
If desired, roasting the carrots and yam gives the soup a nice carmelized/smoky flavor. To do this, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees, clean, chop, and coat yams and carrot (or other root vegetables, like parsnip, that you might want to use) and roast them until browned in the oven. (I roast them in a glass pie dish or other glass dish because these are easier to clean than anything metal, and the roasting tends to create brown spots on the dishware.