Norwegian Spinach Soup

Unicorn (Unicorn@Indenial.com)
Tue, 06 Oct 1998 16:21:40 -0400

On festive occasions such as Easter, this soup is often served with
little bird's nests of hard cooked egg floating in it. To make these,
remove the yolks from 2 or 3 hard cooked eggs, mash them up with a
little softened butter and chill until firm. Roll this mixture into
little balls and nestle 2 or 3 of these into the hollowed out egg
whites, and carefully float them in the soup. It's best to serve the
soup in shallow bowls, as the eggs don't really float very well.

Norwegian Spinach Soup

2 lbs (1 kg) fresh spinach, washed and drained
or 2 10 oz (280 g) packages of frozen, chopped spinach,
defrosted and drained
8 cups (2 L) chicken broth, fresh or canned
3 Tbs (45 ml) butter
2 Tbs (30 ml) flour
A grating of fresh nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 to 3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan and add the
spinach (fresh or frozen). Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes, then
pour the contents of the pot through a sieve or colander set over a
large bowl. Press the spinach with a wooden spoon to remove as much
of the liquid as possible, and chop the spinach very fine. Reserve
all the liquid. Melt the butter in the saucepan over moderate heat
and stir in the flour and nutmeg. Using a whisk, beat the reserved
liquid into the flour and butter mixture (roux) a little at a time.
Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently. Add the
chopped spinach, salt, and pepper. Simmer the soup over low heat for
5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish each bowl of soup with a
few slices of egg. Serves 4 to 6.