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Seriously Simple: A modern take on French lettuce soup

By Diane Rossen Worthington, Tribune Content Agency on

I love chilled vegetable soup purees when the weather turns warm. The key is to know the basic principles: Purees require liquid (usually stock), vegetables and a thickening agent (more vegetables). There's no need for flour, because you can control the thickness of the soup by adding more or less stock.

The other secret to great pureed soup is what you use to puree it. There are a few different options: the blender, the immersion hand blender or the food processor. My two standbys are the blender or the immersion blender. If you prefer a frothy, cream-like texture without using any dairy, you will have good success using a high-powered blender.

I go for the immersion hand blender when I am pressed for time. It goes right into the soup pot and purees the soup so you don't have to transfer the soup to another vessel. Make sure when you use it to always keep the wand on the bottom of the pan when pureeing so it doesn't fly up and decorate your ceiling.

Cooking butter lettuce with leeks and zucchini yields a fresh mix of flavors and textures. Classic lettuce soup is usually a blend of potatoes and lettuce. This lighter, modern take on classic French lettuce soup includes mint and zucchini, both of which have a natural affinity with lettuce.

The leeks give a bit of added sweetness to the soft textured zucchini. Sour cream is the only dairy here, added just as a garnish. You can leave it out if you want a non-dairy soup. I like to serve the soup in small white bowls for a pretty presentation. This soup is also excellent warm.

Chilled Butter Lettuce and Zucchini Soup with Fresh Mint

 

Serves 4

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil or grapeseed oil

2 leeks, cleaned and light green and white part only, finely chopped

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