Wednesday

Cream of Spinach Soup



Although the calendar indicates we're well into the first week of May, I was dismayed by weather warnings that overnight temperatures were predicted to fall to 32 degrees a day ago. Not a good thing for the young plants and emerging seedlings in the vegetable beds.

Before sunset we were out scurrying to cover the beds to protect the new plants from the freeze.














It was well past dinnertime when we finished the task and we were famished.
I needed to get something on the table quickly using ingredients on hand. This soup came to mind, it is one I used to enjoy at a restaurant located in my hometown in northern California. I have fond memories of that wonderful restaurant; we ate there often for lunch or dinner and our son worked there during his high school years. The place was owned and operated by a young German man and his wife and was known for the incredibly delicious soups they served. A different one was offered each day; diners were offered a choice of soup or salad with each entree. Even back then, homemade soup from scratch was a rarity while dining out so I usually chose the soup.







Over the years I was inspired to duplicate most of them at home and my family loves them. This is one of my favorites.
I'm glad to have them in my recipe repertoire as it fit the requirements of the evening ~ Quick, easy and most importantly I had everything I needed to make it:
A bag of fresh baby spinach, milk, and couple of staples I always have on hand (onion, chicken stock, butter, flour and some simple seasonings, the cream is optional) and we were enjoying a satisfying dinner within 20 minutes.
Usually I puree the spinach but I skipped that step this time, that final step is just a matter of personal preference. For a more elegant presentation I puree ~ but elegance was far from my mind this night... we were HUNGRY! :D










When I skip the cream in the recipe (as I did this time) I like to garnish each serving with a half a teaspoon of butter for a little extra richness.
Once you make this you'll probably be able to make it without looking at the recipe again. Try substituting any cooked vegetable for the spinach for a change ~ (lightly sauteed mushrooms with a little thyme and sherry is a fabulous variation.)
If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, you can find it on my recipe blog (click)
Thanks for stopping by today!




xo ~m.
P.S. The plants and seedling survived with no damage from the freeze. Whew!







19 comments:

  1. That soup looks wonderful Mary!
    Can you believe it is in the 80's here?
    Crazy weather we went from April to August!
    Hope your weather improves!
    L~xo

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  2. YUM! Just the kind of soup I love. The weather hasd been strange here too!
    xoxo Pattie

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  3. Omygosh, this looks devine. If I only had some fresh veggie to make it for our lunch...right now!
    Thanks for sharing..

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  4. Oh, thank you for you blog, I ran across it the other day and was overjoyed. This sounds so yummy and will have to try it this weekend. Our weather will be cooler then.
    I do hope your plants will be okay and not get their little toes frozen.

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  5. Your soup looks great! Love the mushrooms with it! I hope your weather gets warmer soon, ours is just starting to warm up finally!

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  6. Crazy weather! We had rain, 50mph winds and snow yesterday! It's still snowing today (lightly) but it's melting as it reaches the ground. Only 36 degrees today... this is a good day for soup and this one looks terrific!

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  7. I hope all your plants made it okay. We've gotten into the 40's which my basil wasn't too crazy about, but nothing in the 30's!

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  8. I like all soups...this would work for me!

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  9. The soup looks delicious, and I love those yellow cabbage bowls.
    We can't plant here till mid May..we can still get a frost .

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  10. That soup looks delicious but I am in love with your photography. You could have another career going on there.

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  11. That melted pat of butter is making me salivate!

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  12. Not only does this sound good, but the choice of the pale yellow cabbage bowl is so appealing.

    - The Tablescaper

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  13. I love the rustic look to the soup, and the pictures are great!

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  14. Hi,
    This looks delicious and you have it presented so beautifully. Can't wait to try it. Thanks
    Maryrose

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  15. Looks wonderful!! Love spinach:)

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  16. I'm hungry now! Oh that looks so yummy! Your pictures are amazing as usual!

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  17. I can't tell you how delicious this looks. I am a lover of spinach, when I make it, haven't had too much luck elsewhere. I'm going to try out this recipe for sure and put it in my prettiest bowl and enjoy. Absolutely lovely. As for elegance, it looks divinely elegant to me. Great post!

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  18. looks so delicious and love the bowl!

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  19. Oh Mari, this looks so wonderful. And even though you were pressed for time your presentation is perfect as usual! You are SUCH an inspiration!!!! XO, Pinky

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Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

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