Cream of Lettuce Soup

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to "L. Hadley, somewhere in California" for sending this to
us:

The Top 8 Signs You're at a NASCAR Wine Tasting

8. Everyone dumps a little wine on the ground and says "Good Ol'
Number 3" whenever Dale Earnhardt is mentioned.

7. For slower drinking, the glasses have restrictor plates.

6. You won the raffle and scored the only, and highly coveted, bottle
of Chateau Talladega 96 octane.

5. The winning wine this week is the #3 bottle, sponsored by Tide,
Miller Light, NAPA Auto Parts, and Rogaine.

4. "The corkscrew was working really well today, but then Billy
bumped me while I was trying to open the Merlot, but that's just wine
tasting."

3. The winning Oklahoma vintner swears that 10W30 means "bottled on
October 30."

2. Later in the day, you see 30 cars weaving around the track at ten
miles an hour with their left blinkers on.

And the #1 Sign You're at a NASCAR Wine Tasting...

1. No one's really interested in the wine -- they're all just waiting
to see someone drop a bottle!

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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I have written many recipes that call for various "healthy"
substitutes for cream in soups, but nothing produces the same silky
texture and buttery flavor of the real thing. The delicate flavor of
the lettuce lets the cream take center stage in this recipe. Let's
face it, you aren't going to eat this every day, so let yourself enjoy
it once in a while.

Cream of Lettuce Soup

2 Tbs (30 ml) butter
1 Tbs (15 ml) finely chopped onion
2 Tbs (30 ml) all-purpose flour
1 lb (450 g) leaf lettuce, coarsely chopped
4 cups (1 L) milk or chicken stock
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
Salt and freshly grated pepper to taste
A grating of fresh nutmeg

Heat the butter in a heavy pot over moderate heat and saute the onion
until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and
cook for 3 minutes. Add the lettuce and cook until tender, about 5
minutes. Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Puree in batches in an electric blender or food processor. Return to
the pot and stir in the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Tue Aug 31 08:09:39 2004