Winter Super Greens Soup
This is a real good one for getting in your winter greens. Easy and seasonal. Thank god we are through dry Jan (sadly neither of us succeeded but gave it a good go!) and now onto Feb with the best intentions for staying healthy. You can’t get much more healthy than this, winter greens are packed with vitamins and minerals including iron calcium, magnesium, folate and vitamins a, k and c as well as being rich in antioxidants. We often make this when catering for fashion shoots, and recently served it for Gucci with a good dollop of homemade pesto and a side of pasta for those who needed the carbs. It was a huge crew who were up early and worked their socks off so we wanted to serve something warming, as well as packed with goodness. On shoots we make our soups with vegetable stock so everyone from meat eaters to vegans can enjoy it. However at home we usually use chicken stock as like the depth of flavour as well as added health benefits – so use which over stock you like to make the broth. This is the ideal time of year to make this soup as all the leafy greens are in season, so with the best flavour, as well as being low on the carbon footprint. We pick ours up from the local farmers market, or Parkway Greens in Camden that has the most wonderful range of vegetables. The trick with the soup is to make the base and add the stock – which can be made well in advance, and helps for the flavour to develop then add the leaves at the last second which keeps them fresh and bright. However this doesn’t mean that if the greens are in for a while it’s a goner, it just wont be as vibrant but still delish to take into work for lunch the next day (or breakfast and add a poached egg). A very satisfying recipe to make, knowing you are putting 100% goodness into your body, you can really feel smug knowing how many are out there feeling guilty for pigging out on a pizza on a Monday evening.