Spring soup | spinach | parsley
This soup is a conversation starter from the moment it arrives on the table. Artful flavour combinations and the burst of colour make this dish a spring favourite – all year round. A chilled version can be prepared for the summer months by substituting the chicken stock with vegetable stock. Plus it is a great option after the festive season when you are in detox mode.
- 180ml olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves confit garlic
- pinch ground coriander
- 1.2L brown chicken stock
- 4 bunches English spinach
- ¼ bunch continental parsley, leaves picked
- 100g organic mixed quinoa
- 200g natural yoghurt
- 1 lemon, zested
- 20g chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 2 cloves black garlic
- 1 punnet broad bean flowers
- salt & pepper
In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in 30ml of the olive oil until translucent. Add the confit garlic and ground coriander, continuing to sauté till the spice begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Add 1 litre of the brown chicken stock, bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper then reduce to a simmer.
Bring a large saucepan of boiling, salted water to the boil then add the spinach and parsley leaves for just 20 seconds, then quickly remove the leaves and refresh them in iced water.
Place the quinoa in a small saucepan with 200ml of the chicken stock, cover, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for fifteen minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.
Blend the chipotle, black garlic and 180ml of olive oil together. Then in a small bowl combine the lemon zest, a pinch of salt and yoghurt.
Squeeze excess water from the spinach and parsley leaves and combine with the simmering stock base for 2 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend thoroughly before returning to the rinsed pot. Season to taste and keep warm over low heat.
To serve, ladle some of the soup into a bowl, gently add some quinoa and lemon yoghurt then drizzle with chipotle oil and garnish with broad bean flowers.