COLD SPINACH SOUP

Cold Spinach Soup image

Provided by Barbara Kafka

Time 25m

Yield 8 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

2 pounds spinach, stemmed
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh dill
1 scallion, white and light green parts trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 pound good-quality dill pickles, cut in 1/4-inch dice (or substitute peeled and seeded cucumbers)
12 ounces beer
1/4 teaspoon peeled, freshly grated horseradish
1 1/2 cups water
Kosher salt to taste
6 bunches sorrel (about 1 1/2 pounds), stemmed and cut horizontally into 1/8-inch-wide strips (optional)
Scant 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (if adding sorrel)
1/2 cup sour cream (1 1/2 cups if adding sorrel)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (1 1/2 cups heavy cream if adding sorrel)
1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar

Steps:

Wash spinach and place in a large skillet with the adhering water. Cover. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, just until wilted. Drain. Place the spinach and the dill in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Scrape mixture into a metal bowl. Stir in scallion, pickles, beer, horseradish, water and salt.
If using sorrel, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until just melted. Add the sorrel and cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until color turns. Remove from heat. Stir sorrel, 1 1/2 cups sour cream and 1 1/2 cups heavy cream into spinach mixture. If not using sorrel, stir in 1/2 cup yogurt instead of heavy cream and 1/2 cup sour cream. Refrigerate until cold. Just before serving, stir in vinegar. Add more salt if needed.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 80, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 6 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 492 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams