Still Life: Middle Eastern Spinach Soup

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Middle Eastern Spinach Soup

 

Recipe By : Still Life with Menu (1994), Mollie Katzen, page 17

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Potatoes Rice

Soups And Stews Vegetables

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 medium-sized potato

OR 3 cups cooked white rice

(1 cup uncooked;

see instructions below)

2 cups water -- up to 4

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil -- up to 2

2 large garlic clove -- minced

4 cups chopped onion

2 teaspoons salt -- (or to taste)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

a dash of cinnamon -- or more, to taste

2 pounds fresh spinach

cleaned and stemmed and chopped

1 1/2 cups firm yogurt -- room temperature

black pepper and cayenne -- to taste

 

Preparation time: 45 minutes. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

 

Yogurt binds everything together in this hearty, soothing, and beautifully

green soup, and gives a lemony accent to the already unusual seasonings.

 

You can make this soup with either potatoes or rice. The potatoes may be

cooked up to several days in advance. Store them in their cooking water in

a closed container in the refrigerator. The rice may also be cooked a day

or two in advance.

 

OPTIONAL SHORTCUT: If you are just too tired to face that big pile of raw

spinach, substitute two 10-ounce packages frozen, chopped

spinach. (Defrost before using.)

 

WITH POTATOES:

 

1. Peel and dice the potatoes, and cook potatoes in 2 to 4 cups water,

covered, until tender. (This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.) Set

aside, water included.

 

2. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot, and saute

garlic and onion over medium heat along with the salt and spices until

tender (8 to 10 minutes).

 

3. Add cooked potatoes with their water, and spinach. Cover and simmer

another 10 to 15 minutes. At this point the soup can be left as is, or

partially or completely pureed. Use a blender or steel blade attachment of

a food processor. It's fun to experiment with various textures. A

complete puree can be quite elegant.

 

4. Stir in yogurt. Add pepper and cayenne to taste. This soup is equally

good served hot or cold.

 

WITH RICE:

 

1. Put 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Sprinkle in 1 cup

uncooked white rice. Lower heat to the gentlest possible simmer, cover,

and cook about 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and the rice

is tender. Set aside.

 

2. Saute onions and garlic with spices exactly as in step 2 above.

 

3. Add spinach and 2 cups additional water. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15

minutes.

 

4. As in the instructions above, all or some of the soup can be

pureed. Stir in the rice and yogurt after pureeing.

 

5. Heat very gently before serving. This variation actually tastes best

neither hot nor cold, but somewhere in between.

 

 

 

 

 

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