Ingredients (Serves 4-5)

• 12 ounces / 340 g fresh spinach leaves
• 4 cups / 1 quart / 950 ml chicken broth, possibly homemade; better yet a blend of chicken broth and stock; I use my homemade chicken broth/stock
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• Fine sea salt, to taste
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Wash spinach leaves carefully, drain and chop.

In the meantime, bring the broth to a boil in a soup pot. Drop the spinach leaves into the broth and stir. Cover the pot, bring the soup back to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes or so. Taste the spinach: it should melt in your mouth. Cook longer if necessary. When ready, remove from the heat.

When the soup is almost ready, warm up the olive oil in a small skillet. Add a pinch of fine sea salt to the minced garlic and work it a bit more with the blade to make almost a paste. Drop the garlic in the hot oil and stir well. Cook on gentle heat until the garlic is golden and fragrant, stirring frequently.

Pour two ladlefuls of soup into the hot skillet. It will sizzle. Stir a couple of times and pour the soup back into the pot. Repeat this step, stirring well so all the olive oil and garlic mixes with the soup.

Taste and adjust salt. (I don’t give a specific amount because it depends on how salty the broth/stock is.)

Ladle into prepared bowls, squeeze a bit of lemon juice into each and stir briefly. Serve with lightly toasted, thinly sliced bread or pita.

Go to the full post on zuppa di spinaci / spinach soup