Lovage soup

Taken from "VEG: simple, stylish and seasonal vegetarian cooking" by Catherine Mason (Pauntley Press, 2001, ISBN: 0-9534879-2-8, price £12.99)
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Lovage is at its best in May, and when the weather turns chilly, as it so often does at this time of year, this soup is warming and comforting. It is also good made with parsley.

Lovage is a herb you don't often find fresh in the shops. I don't know why, because it has a terrific, intense celery flavour and is very easy indeed to grow, much easier than basil, for instance. Do not be alarmed at reports of its vast size. It can easily be kept within bounds by frequent picking. Indeed, the leaves should be picked young, ideally when they are about 15 cm (6 inches) long, and certainly before they become large and coarse. They freeze well (which is worth doing, if only so that you can make this lovely soup in the winter months) and the frequent picking encourages the plant to produce more. One plant is ample for the average household.

  • 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 large or 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • ½ a head of celery, washed and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 500 ml (18 fl oz) vegetable stock
  • handful of young lovage leaves, washed and de-stalked (about 15-20 g)
  • 100 ml (4 fl oz) cream
  • 100 ml (4 fl oz) milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry all the vegetables (onions, carrots, potato and celery) in the olive oil for a few minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer, put a lid on the pan and cook for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Put the lovage leaves in the food processor or blender and whiz the soup with them, in batches if necessary. In the last batch, add the milk, cream and egg yolks. Put it all back in the rinsed-out pan and re-heat gently, adding salt and pepper to taste. Don't let it boil, or the egg yolks will curdle.

SERVES 3 FOR LUNCH, 4 OR 5 AS A STARTER

Recipe copyright © 2001 Catherine Mason | other sample recipes