Un jour, ce fût une salade – Soupe de laitue et pois aux herbes, crème d’estragon et cerfeuil

This soup has been made with ingredients that could also be a salad. So if you are tired of lettuce salad, you can turn it into a delightful soup. Soups have a healing and cleansing effect and are so nutritious, so they’re the perfect reason to be part of anyone’s diet.

You can certainly cook lettuce or braise it. Its use is not limited to being eaten raw in salads. Being a leaf, it can be used as spinach or chards or as any other green. Since lettuce tends to be bland, I like to enhance it with fresh herbs. You can also use cannellini beans or chick peas instead of peas.

In France, they often add a tbs of crème fraîche in a velouté, or vegetable cream. I prefer to use yogurt to keep it lighter, it’s a personal choice, but cream would also work. As far as, texture, you can blend it into a fine and smooth texture, I kept it more grainy, it’s all up to your personal tastes.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 heads of lettuce
  • 300 g peas
  • 1/2 bunch chervil + 1 tbs, chopped
  • 3 tbs tarragon + 1 tbs, chopped
  • Vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt

Preparation

For the soup

Heat olive oil in a pot. Add onions and let soften, then add lettuce. Let it wilt, add broth (to cover the lettuce mixture). Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes. Add peas and herbs and let cook for an extra 10 minutes. Blend soup in a mixer or hand blender. SErve hot with a tablespoon of cream of herbs.

For the cream of herbs

Mix 1 tbs of tarragon and 1 tbs of chervil with yogurt and stir.