romaine lettuce soup

I recently had to replace my blender (a KitchenAid department store model) because its drive mechanism was made of hard rubber and just stripped totally bare.  I wasn't blending anything funky, it just all of a sudden died!  Anyway, I did some research and figured that I should aim a little higher.  I was having an internal debate about the virtues of the Vita-Mix 5200 vs. the BlendTec Total Blender.  Both get high ratings and do pretty much the same thing.  They're also both exceedingly expensive, which is why when I found the BlendTec on sale at my local Costco, the debate was settled.

I've run a couple of their recipes through the blender and they all turn out well, if a little sweet for my tastes.  The ice cream is not a bad healthy alternative, though I am going to experiment with freezing milk instead of using ice cubes as suggested.  I was a little skeptical of having so many pre-programmed buttons (the Vita-Mix just has a variable speed knob), but the programs do what they're supposed to.  It's loud, but that's to be expected.

Anyway, after using it for a week, I found myself standing in front of the fridge wondering what to make for a healthy snack.  I had a nice head of romaine lettuce, but wasn't really in the mood for a salad.  I had seen a lot of recipes for blended greens in the BlendTec recipe book, plus I'd heard Mark Bittman (NYTimes Minimalist) and Lynn Rosetto Kasper (APM's The Splendid Table) wax poetic about cooking various lettuces.  So, I decided to try a pureed romaine soup.

I wanted to keep it simple, so I just tore the head of lettuce with my hands and dumped it into the blender carafe.  I added a half teaspoon of kosher salt and poured on 2 cups of boiling water.

The BlendTec handles hot soups pretty well -- the lid has steam vents, though I think I was supposed to remove the center cap and cover with a towel to be safe.  Regardless, I had no issues with explosions, but your mileage may vary.  Back to the recipe.


After pressing the "Soup" button, the machine sprang into action and made a ridiculous amount of noise for 80 seconds.  You see, the soup cycle is designed to heat whatever is in the carafe by virtue of its high RPMs.  Since I already put boiling water in, I probably could have stopped it after 10 seconds, but I let 'er rip anyway.  I then dropped a tablespoon of butter into the soup and pureed for another 10.

The soup turns out creamier than it deserves to be and has a very comforting, vegetal taste.  I tried adding a squeeze of lemon to sharpen up the flavors and it was good, though I think I prefer the version without acid.  Maybe a dollop of greek yogurt and a sprinkling of chives?  Anyway, it's light and satisfying and makes good use of my expensive new toy!