Farm Kitchen Chilled Spring Onion Soup

Just the other week, the Farmer’s Wife went to her garden to see what there was to see.

And it was just what she’d expected—filled with the debris of last summer’s good work. The tomato vines, once so vibrant and full are shriveled, sunken, clinging lifelessly to their cages. The pepper plants show what they once were with the transparent remains of a few missed fruits displayed here and there. And the weeds. Those appear to be the only green things left in the garden.

But wait.

Is that? Yes! It’s onions—left just like the peppers had been. Only these are Not shriveled and useless! No. These are spring onions, vibrant and full of life. The Farmer’s Wife gathers a handful and sets them aside, excited now that her exploring has given her some treasures. And she’s not done yet. She finds a Forgotten Potato, some Kale, and yes, a dozen or so beets—all of which have survived the Winter and appear to want to remain in the garden. I can’t blame them. It is a lovely place to be.

She brings all her finds into the kitchen and sets about doing what all good Farmers do with such things—she concocts a dinner in the way of Soup. And here is how it’s done:

The onions are washed and coarsely chopped and thrown into a saucepan with more than a bit of butter. They’re set to cook on medium heat and stirred from time to time. Once they begin to soften, the potatoes (which have been washed, peeled, and diced) are set alongside and given a stir or two themselves. Chicken stock is poured over all (Although vegetable stock could have been used just as easily. I’m not telling you your business, just relaying how it happened here.)  

The potatoes are checked from time to time for doneness and by that I mean a knife stuck in slides easily in and through. Once they are, the heat is turned off, and a handful of fresh thyme and French tarragon placed over all. A lid is applied and the soup is left by itself to perk.

Once it’s on the coolish side, the soup is set in a blender and pulverized. But, it’s sent through a strainer as well—just in case some of those herbs and that onion was being stubborn—trying to hang on to its former self a bit.

The Farmer’s Wife then adds a bit of salt and more than a bit of cream. The whole thing is set in the fridge to cool and will be served just as it is, with a bit of diced chives, sprinkled on top.