Versatile, creamy soup makes most of spring greens

Popeye would approve: This creamy spinach soup is packed with good greens.

To me, it looks and tastes like spring – full of vibrant color and flavor. Part of that flavor is a surprise – scapes!

Scapes are the bloom shoots that onions and garlic send up in early spring. For the onion or garlic to concentrate their energy on bulb production, the scape needs to be snipped off before the flower opens.

And scapes are delicious, like the parent plant but more subtle and a little grassy – like this new season.

No scapes? No problem; substitute green onions.

This soup is at its classic best with just fresh spinach but other baby greens work, too. It’s a tasty way to use up too much baby chard or crunchy lettuce.

By using all vegetable stock and margarine (and skipping the Parmesan topping), this “cream” soup can go vegan, too.

Spring cream of spinach soup

Makes 2 large bowls or 4 small bowls

Ingredients:

1 or 2 scapes (or ¼ cup green onion, chopped)

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided

8 ounces (3 cups) fresh baby spinach*

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup low-fat milk**

¼ teaspoon sweet paprika

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Instructions:

Prepare scape: Cut off bulbous head and slice the stem lengthwise down the middle. Chop stem.

In a large heavy pot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Sauté scape (or chopped green onion) until soft.

Wash spinach and add to pot. Sauté spinach until just tender, stirring often; about 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer sautéed spinach mixture to a food processor. Pulse a few times until spinach is finely chopped.

In the pot over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in flour to make a roux. When the butter-flour mixture bubbles, slowly add stock, stirring constantly. Bring that mixture to simmer, stirring often. Once the soup thickens, stir in milk and return to simmer. (Don’t let it boil.) The soup will be the consistency of very thin milk gravy.

Add chopped spinach mixture and stir well. Bring soup just to simmer again, stirring often. Add paprika and nutmeg, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot, topped with Parmesan cheese if desired.

*Note: Other baby greens such as chard and lettuces may be substituted or combined with the spinach.

**Note: Milk may be omitted; double the stock to 2 cups.